


Fate/Memoriam

by LeSaltyWarlock



Category: Fate/Grand Order, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Flashbacks, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Holy Grail War (Fate), Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Master/Servant, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Past Character Death, Possible Character Death, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Tags Are Hard, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-22 11:47:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 36,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30038211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeSaltyWarlock/pseuds/LeSaltyWarlock
Summary: June 2020. New York City. Here, is where a Holy Grail once lost to time has resurfaced. A boy who has drifted from his home finds himself tied to an eagle-eyed Servant who calls himself Rider.  Having left the world of Magecraft before, Jace has no choice but to fight in yet another war that could possibly change his life.Perhaps with this Holy Grail's assistance, he may be able to regain his fleeting memories just for a moment longer.
Relationships: Achilles | Rider of Red/Original Character(s), Achilles | Rider of Red/Other(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	1. A Chance

**Author's Note:**

> WOWOWOWOW welcome to chapter 1! I've always been a bit apprehensive about sharing the things I write, but I'm determined to overcome some of my fears! I originally made a decision to share this when I summon Achilles in FGO.... Unfortunately, that didn't happen but I was somewhat eager to do this and decided to post it anyways. That and I'm on a bit of a writer's block in where I'm at with this fic right now, so maybe doing something like this will help. More things will be coming soon, so don't worry!

Memories are an ocean of mysteries even to the seafarers that are people. Everyone knows that there are waters that you do not tread, paths that must not be travelled unless fate’s hand forces you to. 

Jace Alburn knows those seas. At least, that’s what he would say if his mind wasn’t so clouded by pills and the constant need to forget. Every day, he grasps tightly on to those fleeting memories with as much might that he could muster. The words and the visions fell through his fingers like grains of sand in an hourglass.

When will this sea of memories eventually run dry?

The current has drifted him all the way to New York City. The bustling streets ripe with cigarette smoke and noise pollution made his head ache, but it was far better than being back _there_. Back where his memories got the better of him. 

“Yo, I’m hungry. Wanna go get some pizza?” 

He felt a tap on his shoulder. Jace whirled around and came face to face with a man a few inches shorter than him. By the olive skin tone and startling green eyes, he discerned it as someone he knew. He let his shoulders sag and relaxed into his chair. “Jeez! You scared me, Quinn!”

Quinn Rambert. His loyal friend since their humble, albeit messy, days in college. He smoothed down his chestnut hair and shrugged unapologetically. In his hands, he cradled a backpack with a little plush cat attached to it. This was Jace’s backpack. 

“Yeah, and I want pizza before work. Come on, I’ll drive.” Quinn already had his car keys in hand before swaggering out of the room. Jace exhaled a tired sigh and pushed himself off of his chair to follow his friend.

The Tesla roared and sailed through the city streets at a snail’s pace because Jace was too anxious to take the subway to work. There was a local pizza spot that Quinn recommended when they first came to the city, more specifically when Jace first came to the city. They’ve been going ever since.

Jace turned up the air conditioning. The chilled air made the hairs on his arms tingle, but it was the only salvation from the blistering heat burning it’s way through the city. He switched on the radio and looked at the news. Some five year old was suddenly found in the gorilla exhibit. “Jeez, how does a child just...make their way into a gorilla exhibit?”

“Hey, it’s kinda like 2016, remember that? It’s good no gorillas were killed this time.” Quinn switched the radio to his signature playlist instead, consisting of an amalgam of entirely random genres that didn’t really fit together well. “And don’t you _dare_ change anything in the middle of my sea shanties.”

The pizza place was small. A best kept secret among the locals that Jace wormed his way into thanks to Quinn. The pizza was cheap and the slices were as big as your face, a staple not commonly seen back where Jace used to live. Such a thing would probably cost five bucks. 

They decided to walk to work instead of suffering through traffic any longer. Jace’s beat up sneakers lightly tapped against the concrete as he stared in awe at the city. Back home, there weren’t buildings as tall nor streets as loud and bustling as this. 

Working at a hospital was not always fun. Working in the Emergency Room wasn’t exactly fun either. Jace was sometimes jealous that Quinn gets to toil away in a lab all day where things aren’t as stressful, but he honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. 

His first patient of the day was a woman who had fainted after having lunch. She had complained to her co-workers of bad stomach pains before falling unconscious. The paramedics rushed her in and set her in one of the beds while Jace had already deduced what was wrong with her.

He always was different as a kid. His friends said that his eyes changed color sometimes, which had led him to become a bit of an outcast. Whenever Jace looked at people, he sometimes found different colors and masses of light radiating off of specific body parts before information came filtering into his head.

_“Mama,” Jace pointed at his mother’s knee, “you’re in pain!”_

Since then, he’s learned what colors usually corresponded to what just by a second’s glance. He stared at the woman, a light red pulsing from her side signalling the flaring of nerves. The dark red almost shrouded the lighter shade which signified that there was bleeding in that area as well. A dull purple covering her stomach meant that it was inflamed. He recognized that as the location around the appendix.

Her appendix had ruptured. Common symptoms include pain in the abdomen, fever-like symptoms, and nausea. She was admitted to surgery later to get it removed, and Jace folded his arms satisfied that he was able to help. 

He had a guide for every single shade that he saw. It was complicated, but the words that came to him often helped guide his judgement. Reds either had to do with pain, bleeding, and fevers. Sometimes, he’d see burn victims covered in blood red. Yellows were pus and any sensory problems. Sometimes, they pointed out stomach problems or eye problems as well. Greens were infections, the shade usually denoting whether it was viral, fungal, or bacterial. It also noted any poisons or venoms circulating through their system. Blues denoted psychological distress, anything that was previously damaged, and even anything that isn’t functioning properly. Purple usually detected anything happening on the surface of the skin and whites or beiges had to do with the muscles and bones.

Blues and reds were the most common colors he saw followed by yellows and purples. Blues usually swarmed scars while a faint red always surrounded people in response to their bodies radiating heat. Purples and reds signalled bruises and cuts while the intensity of the yellow always determined just how bad of a lunch they might’ve had.

Then there were some colors that were more uncommon.

Shades of gray signified a couple things, but it usually meant that someone had cancer. He never worked in oncology, but he sometimes would catch lines of grey fizzling out of people on the streets or in the ER. It also signalled a transition to the color that he hated seeing. The color that always made his heart drop.

Jace hated whenever he saw black. It meant something was failing or rotting. In his line of work, it meant that someone was dying and it would be difficult to be able to prevent. If something was terminal, all the colors that usually covered them showing any complications slowly turned pitch black. No matter what he did or could do, they never changed again. When operations and medicines were failing, he could only watch as the flashing reds, greens, and blue grew darker and darker until they were also black. 

Along with the colors, words and phrases sometimes popped into his head. Smoker’s lung. Broken bones. Nearsightedness. Nothing ever evaded his sights. 

Those special eyes pushed him through medical school and residencies from a young age. For a practicing doctor to only be twenty four is quite an achievement. 

It was almost midnight when he and Quinn got off of their shift. After another day of seeing mixes of the rainbow, Jace was already quite exhausted with seeing colors. He greeted his friend in the locker rooms with a hug—ignoring the painting of blues and purples that always surrounded him—and said, “let me guess...pizza?”

“Actually, I was hoping to do something else.” Quinn’s voice was shaky as he threw off his scrubs and took a bit too long getting dressed up. What he wore was different from in the morning—now, he was dressed head to toe in black clothing that had way too many accessories on them. From black pants with different things strapped on, to combat boots, gloves, and a thin jacket riddled with too many chains and belts. He looked like a robber.

Jace took a step back as he examined his friend from top to bottom, suspicion and confusion made his stomach coil. “Um...what we’re doing better not be illegal.”

“Well, I’d say it’s a bit worse than that. Think you’re up to see something cool?” He was oddly serious and very vigilant as he peeked out of the locker room occasionally.

“God, I hate being your friend sometimes.”

Quinn’s car swerved out of the parking lot and through the surprisingly empty streets of New York City. Even though it was the middle of night, it was rare to see them so barren. Slowly, the scenery changed from bright cities to suburbs and they arrived at an abandoned store. If his memory served him, this place used to be one of those party stores that usually went unused when it wasn’t Halloween.

“Um...this doesn’t feel very legal.” Jace slowly got out of the car. “Or...uh, safe.”

“Yeah, well, I have a feeling I’m gonna need those special eyes of yours. That and I’m scared as hell.” Quinn slammed the door closed, making Jace flinch in reaction, and went to the trunk. The man pulled out a box and a large duffel bag which Jace definitely didn’t remember seeing there previously.

Special eyes. His _special eyes_ were definitely something treasured by many mages who knew who he was. Being able to spot injuries and especially weak points is a gift, especially for those looking to get rid of someone easily. Jace’s hands searched for the car handle and wrapped tight around it, but he knew that he couldn’t just abandon his best friend like that. “I thought I told you I wasn’t interested in pursuing Magecraft anymore. Plus, you’re better at that stuff than I am.”

“Well, yeah, I am pretty great.” Quinn slammed the trunk shut and laid the box out on the tarmac. He gave a pained look at Jace which usually meant a request of some sorts, so he picked the thing up and followed the man to the store. “But you’re more skilled with healing, and I’m gonna need some support from that.”

Jace noticed that his friend was very careful while entering the store. He picked the lock and looked back at the parking lot before slipping inside. As Jace carefully lugged the box inside, he muttered, “if we’re burying a body or, like, resurrecting one, then I don’t really want to….”

It was a summoning circle. 

Quinn laid out a parchment in the store’s center around two meters in both width and length that had a summoning circle etched in red. He stacked a barrier of empty tables and shelves in front which partially obscured the view, but it was obvious what it was. He was planning to summon something, but the question of course is what? 

Jace carried the box past the makeshift barricade and placed it down next to the parchment. He went to remove the lid but Quinn had stopped him. “This feels way too, uh, illegal and dangerous if we’re summoning something like a familiar. Wouldn’t your house be better? Hell, even mine could work perfectly fine.”

Quinn’s laugh shook him to his bones. His friend was usually so confident—now, it had this weakness to it that Jace usually never saw. “Um, I don’t think that’s the best plan right now. Here, give me your hand.”

Jace offered his open palm and flinched when Quinn pressed a knife’s blade against it. Red and purple light flashed for a second and dripped blood onto the summoning circle causing it to glow a bright red. He clutched his palm and, as if on command, a green glow started to envelop the cut before closing up. “J-jeez, you could’ve used your own!”

“Yeah, but I don’t wanna cut myself!” Quinn pressed his hand against the center of the summoning circle, sparks of blue electricity flying from his fingertips and clashing with the energy shooting off the summoning circle. “Alright! Let’s do this!”

Despite the place being entirely sealed off, wind enveloped the building like they were caught in some sort of storm. Quinn’s eyes glowed a malicious red as the bolts shooting from his body intensified into literal lightning strikes. The box flew open, revealing a vase of some sort. It was engraved in what looked like Greek, ornate pictures and people scattered across its entirety. 

“Fill.” His words pierced the raging winds, repeating the phrase five times. “Fill, fill, fill...fill!”

“Q-Quinn? What's the meaning of this?!” The wind knocked Jace off his feet, traces of red and purple covering his arms before disappearing. In all of his studies, he couldn’t recognize this incantation.

“Let gold and silver be its essence.. Let gemstones and the archduke of contracts be the foundation.” When his friend opened his palm, a glowing liquid started to pour out and drip onto the summoning circle making the spell grow even stronger. Jace yelped as a stray bolt of lightning hit his shoulder. “Let the great master be my ancestor Alcina. Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall!”

That spell. No, it can’t be. It can’t…. 

Everyone’s use of magical energy is always displayed as red, as the conversion of calories to magical energy often produced heat. Quinn had turned into a deep red that obscured all of his features as he poured his life into the summoning circle. This was not a familiar he was summoning. Not a regular one, anyways. Normal familiars don’t use so much magical energy.

“I-I...Quinn, this better not be—”

He spoke a little louder now, glaring daggers at Jace as if saying not to interrupt him. “Let the four cardinal gates close. Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate. Let it be declared now; your flesh shall serve under me, and my fate shall be your sword.”

An arrow flew through the store, piercing through the barricade like it was paper and nicking Quinn in the shoulder. His words faltered slightly, but he still continued the incantation. “Submit...to the beckoning...of the Grail! Answer, if you would submit to this will and this truth. An oath shall be sworn here. I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven; I shall have dominion over all evils of all of—” 

“Hell!” He spat out blood onto the parchment as another arrow embedded itself in his chest.

Jace’s eyes widened and his stomach recoiled at the sight. Pressing a hand against the blockade, his magical circuits glowed a dim blue as energy enveloped the barrier. More arrows were fired, but the barrier held firm despite each projectile feeling like a punch in the gut. 

Quinn smiled at Jace and finished the words to the incantation. “From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three great words of power, come forth from the ring of restraint, protector of the holy bala—”

He could only watch in horror as an arrow broke through the reinforced barricade and pierced Quinn’s heart. Red. Red. Red. Flashes of blue. Hints of green coursed through the veins. Jace screamed and dove towards his friend to try to protect him. “No!”

Jace removed the arrows and threw them to the side. He placed his hands on Quinn’s chest and let a green light flow from his arms and his hands into the wounds riddling the man’s bodies. It took a few moments, but they slowly closed up and left nothing. Not even a mark. “D-don’t be so stupid! You’ll get yourself killed!”

“Jace….”

“Shut the fuck up!” He slapped Quinn in the face. “You’re such an idiot!”

“Jace?”

“God, you are so paying me after all—”

“Look!” Quinn grasped him by the shoulders and turned him around. The box had spilled over, the vase clattered right in the center of the summoning circle spilling out what looked like ashes. It was an urn. His foot must’ve knocked it over. Jace reclined his foot and watched a bright light erupt from the urn. “What the hell did you do?!”  
“I saved your life, dumbass!” Jace stammered a reply, although he definitely didn’t know what he just did. A burning sensation in his right hand filled his body with agony, but he didn’t even have enough time to process it before another barrage of arrows shot through the barricade heading straight for the two of them.

Jace threw himself in front of Quinn and shut his eyes waiting for pitch darkness to wash over him like all of the people he’s seen die in front of him. 

And he waited. 

There was no pain. Nothing. The wind had died down, and the crackles of lightning had stopped as well. All he felt was his chest burning from the breath he held and Quinn crushing his arm so tight that he snapped his eyes open.

Arrowheads were a mere inch away from his face, stopped only by a gloved hand. Following the hand up to the metal bracers and then to the arm’s owner, he stared at a man whose golden eyes were as sharp as a hawk and hair a startling green. His armor, specifically his chestplate, was adorned with a bird and a laurel. An orange scarf rippled in the sudden wind that had started to blow. The crimson red light that he gave off was so blinding. 

Almost like a star. 

The man snapped the arrows in half and chucked them to the linoleum floor. Jace peeked over the torn barricade, looking at a group of dogs that stood at the door. Those weren’t strays, as their growls and behaviors were much too aggressive for even territorial ones. He held out his hand towards Jace and said words that would start a journey that changed his life. 

“Sorry for being late. Hope you’re not hurt.” He beamed. “I take it that you’re my Master?”

“M-Master?” Jace took the man’s hand and noticed that his right hand now had some weird symbol engraved into his skin. They were like some hooded cobra with fangs dripping venom. What are these? “Wait, how...how did you even get here?”

“Can you fight?” He asked, gesturing to the dogs snarling at the three of them. Right behind the pack was a woman holding a longbow. Jace couldn’t quite catch a lot of her features as it was getting so much darker now, but that probably didn’t matter much as she nocked an arrow in a matter of seconds and shot it at them. In a flash, the arrow was carved in half by a spear. “I need to make sure my Master can hold his own.”

“I...I don’t….” Jace was a healer and not a fighter, or at least, that’s what he tried to make himself believe. “I don’t—”

“Jace.” Quinn was serious in the way he spoke. He stumbled to his feet which made Jace panic as the healing was still taking effect on his heart and said, “I know you hate it, but you have no choice. Believe me on this one.”

Quinn reached into his jacket and pulled out a dagger from one of the many hidden pockets inside. Jace took it and examined the blade, feeling mana coursing through his fingertips. He gave it a few practice swings before taking on a stance. He had no choice but to fight, even if the thought of it made his vision go blurry. “I’ll try to support you, uh….”

“Rider. Call me Rider.” The man replied with a grin, “I’ll give you my name when you’re not in danger.”

“R-right….” 

Almost on cue, the woman sent her hunting dogs towards them. He had only taken a step when Rider disappeared and reappeared with his spear stabbing right through one of the dogs. The other two charged past the man and straight towards them. 

Jace hadn’t fought in a long time. He had thought those days were behind him already, but such experience was engraved in his bones. Reached into his back pocket, he retrieved a bottle of bear spray and shot it at the two dogs who immediately stopped to yelp in pain, shades of red and violet mixing together in a sickeningly beautiful mess. Taking advantage of this, he held the dagger with two hands and stabbed straight into one of the dog’s hearts. Maroon red flashed and faded just as quickly as it came, turning into an eerie black. He glanced at Quinn who had already taken care of the other one whose neck was twisted in a grotesque position. The creatures soon disintegrated leading him to believe that these were probably familiars instead of actual dogs.

“You know, only you would bring bear spray to a magic fight.”

“Yeah, because no mage expects a dose of the stuff in their face.” Jace pocketed his secret weapon, eyeing the slowly growing ball of crimson in Quinn’s chest. “You need to rest, I don’t want to risk you getting yourself hurt. Again.”

“Master! More of those dogs on the way!” Rider had appeared next to them, using his spear to deflect any arrows that came their way. Jace still didn’t quite know why he was being called that, but he already deduced that the two of them were bound now and probably through these symbols on his hand. “Think you could handle a few on your own?

The woman raised her hand as more dogs swarmed through the doors, and Jace’s heart stopped beating at the sight of all of them. Was he gonna die? Is this how he dies? 

“I used all my jewels on summoning him, you fuck!” Quinn yelled at Jace before whispering an incantation. Sparks gathered in his palm as a bolt of lightly struck the pack of beasts a few seconds later. Even through such a powerful attack, only more started to come. “Look, you need to stop holding back, dude!”

“I-I’m trying!” Jace managed to hold a few at bay with his dagger, slashing at their snouts whenever an opening presented itself while Quinn killed most of the dogs with his electricity. 

“Clearly you’re not! Do you think that _they’d_ be proud of you if you just died here?!”

He did not just say that. Well, clearly he did. Jace grit his teeth as memories rose from the depths, memories that he tried way too hard to bury. In reaction, his breath started to cloud and ice clung to his fingertips. Frost crept up his arm in a pattern matching the magical circuits glowing a dull blue underneath. 

“I hate you.” Jace murmured under his foggy breath. Concentrating on all the molecules of water in the air, he focused on grouping them up until becoming visible before freezing them into icicles as sharp as knives. With a quick swipe of his hand, he launched a barrage of ice that pierced through their fur. As the ice came into contact with the blood inside the dogs, he tried to control that as well—spikes of frozen blood jutted out of their skin and stabbing even more of the beasts until all that was left were a bunch of half-frozen half-electrocuted dogs. 

The ice and blood melted, mixing together into a puddle of red that made Jace’s heart drop. Familiars or not, these dogs didn’t deserve to die. He went to cling onto Quinn for comfort but realized that his arms were still coated in frost and decided not to. Rider whistled at the two of them saying, “that was impressive, Master. Good to know that you can hold your own.”

Through the dust and the fog, two lights pierced through the darkness. That girl had her bow drawn, and two arrows were nocked on that emanated magical energy. Quinn and Rider both tensed up, the former ordering, “hey, Rider. Think you could—”

“You’re not my Master.” Rider interrupted and pointed at Jace. “He is.” 

“Ok, fine. Jace., trust me and trust him, he’s...he’s your Servant, just tell him what to do!” Quinn’s words became more panicked as the glowing arrows started to shine even brighter. He frantically looked at Rider who nodded in response. “And I know you don’t like to _give_ orders but you kinda _have_ to if we don’t wanna die!”

“R-Rider...could you, maybe, save us?” Jace wasn’t quite the one who liked to order people around, but he was guessing he had no choice. He placed his hand on Rider’s shoulder and let his magical energy reinforce every single fiber of muscle so that it was as strong as it could possibly even be. A ball of maroon had gathered in his palm before shooting up into the man’s chest and growing at an alarming rate.

“Already on it!” The spear in Rider’s hands was replaced with a glittering silver sword that crackled with magical energy. His eyes had this bloodlust to them that made Jace’s knees go weak as he thought to himself.

What the hell did he just get himself into?

One swing. One swing is all it took for a shockwave to tear the store apart like it was nothing. One swing. Rider didn’t even have to put that much force, it was all one single movement. It ripped apart the walls and tiles as if all the layers of concrete, stone, and wood were just a bundle of sticks. 

Jace was horrified. 

That woman managed to evade Rider’s attack, as she seemed unharmed when the dust settled. She glared at the three of them and, in the moonlight, Jace managed to catch a few of her features. She had flowing blonde hair and blue eyes, rosy cheeks and a frilled dress that seemed like it would restrict her surprisingly agile movement. Then, in a flash of light, she disappeared into thin air.

Jace’s knees gave way, eyes panning at the destroyed store before him and the scenery occasionally morphing into something that he had tried so desperately to forget. It was only a second or so, but he managed to grasp at the swiftly fleeting grains of sand before falling on all fours. “That...was…..”

“Awesome...and terrifying.” Quinn giggled like a maniac. He pulled Jace to his feet, hands crushing hands, and grinned at him. “If you weren’t my best friend who has saved my life multiple times, I’d be murdering you right now for taking my chance to do this.”

“Hey.” Rider’s voice was calm and collected. He pointed his sword at Quinn’s throat and muttered, “it’s best you get off of him right now, or else I’ll—” 

Quinn stared down the blade before laughing, clutching his stomach as he pointed at Jace. He didn’t even flinch when Rider cut his cheek as some sort of threat, mixes of red and blue light surrounding his head. “Honestly, you’re supposed to be pointing the blade at him, he’s the one who interrupted the ritual that I was gonna use to summon _you_.” 

This isn’t like Quinn. Well, it is, but only when he considers someone an enemy or a rival of some sorts, and these behaviors were never used or seen around Jace.

“I-I don’t even know what’s going on! Q, can you just tell me?!” Jace tried to approach his friend but found a hand wrenched around his throat and electricity coursing through his body. Rider had tried to cut Quinn’s head off and only stopped when met with his Master’s face in front of him.

“If I do, then it takes out all the fun of leaving you clueless, something I’m not willing to take.” Quinn’s body became enveloped in light before he disappeared. As Jace collapsed on the floor, twitching and clutching his throat, the sound of a car engine sounded from outside followed by the screeching of tires zooming out of the parking lot. 

And just like that, a whole sea of memories had turned black just like the others. 

Jace swallowed his pain, dry, followed by a handful of pills done just the same way. _His_ Quinn wouldn’t want tears, and this one didn’t deserve any of them. He doesn’t know why any of this is happening, why his best friend suddenly hates him, but the possibility of danger is still a thing that needs to be taken care of. Being in a destroyed and abandoned store isn’t going to keep him safe. 

“So...Rider. Let me, uh, formally introduce myself.” He stood up and held out his hand with a slight smile. There were still small ice crystals on his nails, but most of it had melted to where it didn’t seem like any concern to him. “My name...is Jace Alburn, and I...am your Master. Please., just call me Jace.”

Rider took his hand and shook it eagerly. “Jace...I like the sound of that. I’m your Servant, my name is—”

“Wait!” Jace hushed Rider, catching a glow of red in the darkness. He pointed at the light like aiming a gun, focusing energy into a single point before firing a ball of magic that hit the thing square in the center of its body. Even though he hadn’t been in the world of mages in a while, he could always sense when a familiar was spying on them. It didn’t even matter what type it was, all he knew is that someone was watching. 

“I thought you said you weren’t a fighter.” Rider chuckled and ruffled his hair. They weren’t even that far apart in height—maybe only an inch or so in difference with Jace being shorter—and yet he felt so small facing the Servant. Rider stood so confidently and so relaxed. Meanwhile, he fidgeted with his shirt just to ease his mind. “For someone who’s not a fighter, you sure didn’t hesitate to kill like that.”

“Can we not talk about this? I-I’m sorry.” Jace lowered his guard, satisfied that nothing seemed to be watching them, and went to leave the store with Rider following behind. “L-let’s head somewhere safe. Where we’re not being watched.”

The two of them were walking through the city’s suburbs, Jace stared intently at his phone to try navigate their way to his house. The streets were empty other than random passersby, so he didn’t have to worry much about Rider’s odd attire. 

Jace glanced at Rider and tried to understand how Quinn managed to summon him. People can’t be used as familiars, at least not in most situations. Why his friend would summon one is another question. “So...why are you here, Rider? I know Quinn summoned you, but for what purpose?” 

“You mean, you don’t know what you’re even doing right now?” Rider exclaimed. 

“Well, my friend back there was supposed to summon you. Not….me, I was just there to help him!” 

Rider scratched his head, a constant frown on his face as he looked around at the barren streets. “Well, I guess I can give you all of the basics.”

He told Jace about something called the Holy Grail War, a battle between seven magi with seven familiars known as Servants in order to attain some wish granting object called the Holy Grail. Servants were heroes and people from past ages or even stories turned into spirits, phantoms of their former selves. Heroic Spirits.

They’re often divided into seven classes: Saber, Lancer, Archer, Assassin, Rider, Caster, and Berserker. Each class had its own set of strengths and weaknesses, but it really all boils down to whoever is the strongest or most resourceful. The Master controlling the Servant matters a lot too as even the strongest of Servants can’t do much with a mediocre Master at their side. 

Jace had heard about the Fuyuki Grail Wars, and he remembered reading about it a long time ago about how someone had stolen the Greater Grail effectively stopping the ritual. Another separate ritual took place years later, but that too had failed. No such events have turned up since that time.

Until now, that is. 

Another war, huh? Will the bloodshed ever stop?

He clutched his arm to stop any more memories from breaking through the ocean’s surface and stole another glance at his phone. It was a long way away from his place, somewhere he hasn’t been in a long time since he usually spent his days at Quinn’s house. Jace let out a quiet sigh, rubbing at his eyes only for a moment to check if he was dreaming. 

“There’s a faster way to get there, you know.” Rider removed the hands from Jace’s face. He was staring at the map before looking up and pointing in the direction of his house. “That way, right?”

“Y-yeah, but—”

Before he could even expect it, Rider had swept Jace into his arms. The former flashed a grin and took on a stance like he was about to break out into a sprint. The latter squirmed a bit saying, “w-wait, what are you—”

Rider leapt into the air, somehow being able to jump much higher than any of the buildings around them. Jace instinctively covered his eyes screaming what he thought would be his final words, but he soon realized that nothing was happening. He carefully peeked out from the hiding place that was Rider’s chest and found them running from rooftop to rooftop, building to building all the way to his house. 

The wind was nice and cool early in the morning. They were moving so quickly that everything around them was a blur, but it was when Rider leapt over a bridge that he caught a really good view of the city. He never enjoyed such a big metropolis as this, but there was something so ethereal looking down to see this huge sea of lights. It wasn’t like the night sky, that was clouded by tons of things here, but it was still beautiful to look at. 

They arrived back at Jace’s home, sandwiched in between another dozen houses without anyone managing to spot them which eased the doubts in his mind.. His was the only one painted a different color from the generic whites and reds of the others—it stood out as a nice pale blue. Quinn made that decision, talked about wanting this place to be just as unique as home. 

He doesn’t have his keys for neither his house nor his car. Most of his stuff was with Quinn, but at least there was a spare.. Hopefully, at least. 

“I’m sorry if it’s not as magnificent as you’d hope it to be.” Jace went up to the front door, leaping up the short three steps to the house, and was about to reach under the doormat for the spare key when he noticed something hiding behind the tons of plants nestled in the corner. It was a duffel bag with a note attached to it. The words were scrawled messily in the same way that Quinn writes.

_Forfeit while you still can, and no harm will come to you._

When he looked inside, it was all of the stuff that he left at Quinn’s house. Mostly clothes, but he found his backpack for work, his wallet and keys. There were also a few things that weren’t his, gemstones packed with magical energy and a few blades glittering with power. His family’s specialty was in gem magic, so it probably wasn’t surprising that they had all of these to spare.

His best friend was still helping him, he shouldn’t be surprised about that either.

Jace took his house keys and unlocked the door, turning on the lights to see that everything was still in place from when he last came. It wasn’t anything special, and the place was small because he couldn’t really see himself owning a huge place like back home. The area that he was in right now was the living room, with a couch on the western wall facing a coffee table and a tv held up by a few cabinets containing miscellaneous things like video games or old books. Taking off his shoes before heading onto the wood floors—a habit that he picked up from his friends back home—he finally took a step into the place he called home.

Surprisingly, there wasn’t a speck of dust on any of the countertops or even on top of the shelves. Knowing Quinn, he probably asked someone to clean this place for them considering he never stayed here often. Now, of course, that’s all changed.

Rider came inside and locked the door behind him, looking around at what would be his new house. He flopped onto the couch and picked up a newspaper from the coffee table. “This is...cozy.”

“I-I can make breakfast, although...I doubt you guys really _need_ to eat.” Jace shuffled to the kitchen to see if there was any food. Compared to the rest of the house, this was probably the one that looked the nicest or at least the most decorated. Their island in the center was custom built with a wooden base and marble countertop, a sink and some outlets attached as well for when he wanted to do work at home. The electric stove stood at the center of the wall and had an oven underneath it and a microwave on top. Pots, pans, and spice racks hung from the brick walls while a line of potted plants faced a window. 

The fridge was empty along with most of the cabinets, and Jace realized that Quinn totally stole all the food. He had a feeling that was the catch to the stuff he got. On the bright side, all the spices, flour, and kitchen appliances were still there. It wasn’t much of a problem, at least for him, as being a doctor definitely had its share of benefits in terms of salary. 

“Nevermind, then...I guess takeout works fine too.” He scrolled through his phone looking up the places that were still open at three in the morning.

Jace didn’t quite know what to do. He doesn’t know much about the Holy Grail War, and he doesn’t really know how to go about trying to win if that _was_ what he should do. Fighting wasn’t his thing, and it only got worse knowing that he was likely pitted in some life or death situation against his best friend. It wouldn’t be surprising if any famous mages from the Association would be participating as well. 

Forfeiting was tempting, but it wasn’t an option he wanted to consider. He glanced at Rider who was switching between channels looking at the tv like it was magic. That man, and all of the Servants in this pointless war, were forced to fight and keep fighting until they either win or lose only to do it all over again. If anything, trying to give this Servant a chance to enjoy a new life was his goal. 

Plus, getting a chance to have his wish granted would attract anyone. 

Jace sat down next to Rider and handed him the phone to choose a place that he wanted. “So...the Holy Grail is supposed to grant, uh, wishes, right? Oh, and you can get anything from anywhere, I have the money.”

Rider nodded his head. “It can do anything...I think.”

“Anything? Like if I ask to make pigs fly, then it can make it happen?” It was a bit of a stupid question, but considering that there isn’t much known about the Holy Grail, it wouldn’t hurt to make sure.

“Well, yeah, but that’s a bit of a stupid wish to make.” He rolled his eyes at Jace. Rider showed him the phone’s screen where he had chosen a local Chinese restaurant nearby, already selecting some random options on the menu like fried rice and shrimp.

“Well, I didn’t exactly intend to participate in this. What sort of wish do you have? Maybe it’ll give me inspiration or something.”

He shrugged, a bored expression on his face while he observed the news, “I’m...not sure either. Us Heroic Spirits are supposed to want it, but I’m not really that much interested. A lot of us seek out reincarnation though, I know that.”

“Reincarnation? A-as in like becoming a fully fledged human again?”

“Well, yeah. Maybe I’d do that, but I don’t know.”

And just like that, a sea of memories flooded his head. The waters were murky, clouded by pills and years of repression, but he could see something within the depths. 

A chance.

Jace took a deep breath and swallowed the pain gathering in his throat. “Can...the Holy Grail bring someone back from the dead?”


	2. He's Nice Like That

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jace goes to work, only to find that so much has changed in such little time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter Two! If you want to ask anything or just want to talk then my Tumblr is @jacethesaltywarlock and I'll do my best to respond!

A chance. He had a chance. Rider had said that it was possible.

And possible isn’t a definite no. 

Necromancy hasn’t exactly advanced to the point where people can fully bring someone back from the dead, the only noted instance that he could think of being the Greek hero Asclepius who managed to make some cure to death.

Jace let Rider eat all of the food that he ordered before showing the Servant to his room. He said that he didn’t need to but appreciated the sentiment before disappearing in a flash of light just like that girl from earlier. 

There were a lot of things he definitely didn’t know about any of this, so he had decided to forfeit sleep for doing as much research as he could on this Holy Grail War. Most magi kept all their information in books instead of the internet, but he still had some contacts in the Mage’s Association who could update him on everything. 

Besides, he couldn’t sleep even if he wanted to.

As night turned into day, Jace collapsed into his chair and massaged at his head to try and ease his headache. With his healing magic, he could effectively give himself a dose of energy like someone would a cup of coffee to keep him awake. After doing it for so long, the exhaustion still persists, and he resigns to the fact that an actual cup of coffee might be able to get him ready for work in….

Two hours?!

Quinn’s usually so impatient, Jace was surprised that he didn’t have ten missed calls or something. He hurriedly changed clothes and brushed his teeth before bursting out of the bedroom door yelling, “sorry Q, I didn’t realize that...that….”

There was no one. He was alone. 

Jace hung his head and shuffled down the stairs, reminded once again about the events that happened last night. This would be the first time in what felt like thousands of years that he’d go to work alone. Even the air felt just a bit emptier without someone at his side. 

“Hey, Master!” Rider materialized on the stairs behind Jace, causing the latter to jump at the sudden feeling of someone’s hands on him. If it weren’t for him already grabbing onto the rails on the stairs, he would’ve tripped and fallen. “Let’s go scouting, eh? I wanna see who I’m fighting already!”

Jace whipped around, glaring at Rider. “Y-you scared me!”

The Servant held up his hands with a guilty grin. Rider was still dressed in that peculiar armor—he’d stick out like a sore thumb unless there was some cosplaying convention going on. Jace pushed him back up the stairs grumbling, “well you need to change out of that if you’re gonna want to blend in like a normal human.”

At the very least, they were the same height so none of Jace’s clothes should be too big or small. He waited outside the bedroom waiting for Rider to choose something, his eyes scanning his empty house. 

A smile crept onto his face as memories resurfaced from days long gone. When he’d walk out the door and be greeted by so many others, even if he didn’t remember inviting them. It was days like those that filled his heart, and now all that he had to replace that feeling were memories. 

The door clicked open, and Jace turned around to be greeted by one of those memories. Rider was dressed in a leather jacket over a red t-shirt with sunglasses sticking out of the collar. He stretched his legs, the torn jeans cuffed at the end, and threw on some sneakers that were originally in his hands. The man carefully put on the sunglasses and gestured to himself. “Handsome, eh?”

Jace blinked—for a second, he swore he saw someone else—before snorting trying to contain his laughter. “You look...nice. Isn’t it a bit hot though?” 

“That’s why I can take the jacket  _ off _ .” Rider pushed past him and leapt down the entire flight of stairs. “So where to?”

“Um...work. I have work.” He knew that a Holy Grail War was important, but so is, well, keeping a stable job and not getting fired. Using up vacation days just to fight in some deadly war wasn’t really high on his priority list either. “Sorry if you wanted to go pick a fight, but my job’s a bit too important to ignore. 

Rider grumbled something as he followed Jace out the front door, pouting like a little baby. The two of them headed over to Jace’s car, a scratched up Honda Odyssey, and went inside. He hadn’t driven his car in a while partly because the New York streets scare him, but mostly because there were a few mementos he liked to keep that always made his heart ache whenever he saw them. 

Jace adjusted his seat when something caught his eye. He wrapped his hands around a silver chain necklace hanging off the rear view mirror before sighing in resignation at another memory and starting the car. Rider reclined in his chair, kicking his feet up on the dash while staring out the window. “So this is New York City, huh?”

“Yeah, this is your first time heading into the city, right?” He knew that many Servants remembered their past experiences in Holy Grail Wars, so it was definitely possible that Rider had been here before.

Rider nodded his head, gazing at the buildings with his mouth hanging open and eyes that glittered with some childlike glow. For a moment, Jace had thought that someone else was sitting there instead. “It’s definitely different from where I lived.”

“And...where is that?” Jace realized that he never quite got the chance to learn Rider’s True Name. He didn’t mind, as it’s important for Servants to conceal that information especially if they have a notable weakness like the heroes Siegfried or Achilles.

The man chuckled for a second. “If I do, won’t it give you a clue?”

“Well, I’d need a clue if I’m supposed to figure out who you are, won’t I?” He retorted back, stealing a glance at Rider’s mischievous grin before focusing on the road. The hospital was far from where he lived, although he didn’t mind the drive. Back home, his house was much further from where he worked. His only worry was the traffic as it could possibly result in being late. 

“Greece.” Rider hummed, “I’m from Ancient Greece.”

Ancient Greece. That certainly narrowed the options, but there were a lot of heroes from that place. Achilles, Jason, Heracles, Perseus, all of which were renowned even to present day. It’s not like the history books tell of a green haired Rider either, and the speed and ability to leap over houses is probably a trait shared by a good number of those heroes as well. 

A moment of silence had passed as they drove into the city, the buildings looming over them and making Jace feel puny as always. His own chest constricted seeing all the tight spaces and cramped streets, and he felt the need to distract himself by turning on the radio. A kid disappeared from the zoo, another incident at an exhibit maybe?

“Are you really gonna try and figure out my name? I could just tell you, you know.” Rider sighed and switched radio stations, random words mixing together in this unintelligible mess. Out...rats….summer...sushi…. Eventually, he settled on a station blaring grainy rock music that made Jace’s ears hurt, but he didn’t feel like interrupting.

“Wouldn’t it just reveal your weakness?”

“Well, not everyone can catch me, and it’d be even harder to try and land a hit on me.” Rider changed stations again, sticking his tongue out as he tried to find something suitable. 

“I hope that’s true...still, I know I can figure it out eventually.” It was his duty as a Master, isn’t it? He and Rider were bonded together, like a hero and their sidekick! Well, he was the sidekick considering he wasn’t that strong nor could he leap over buildings like they were just pebbles on the road. Even then, he’d try his best to help Rider win this war and get that wish.

They arrived at the hospital where Jace parked his car and pulled himself out. He didn’t know what Rider would do while he worked, and it’s not like he could masquerade as a patient or a doctor. It could be possible to sign him up as a volunteer though. 

“You should probably stay in that spirit form while I work.” Jace commented, slamming the door closed and locking it as he started walking towards the hospital’s entrance. “I know you’re excited, but I don’t want to risk you getting hurt where I can’t be with you.”

“Ugh...fine.” Rider disappeared in a burst of light. Just to make sure, Jace scanned the parking lot and nodded to himself seeing that no one would’ve seen a man quite literally disappear. 

Jace entered the hospital, the chilled air and sterile scent was familiar yet a bit unsettling knowing that his possibly former best friend still worked here. As he navigated the hallways and peeked inside an empty locker room, he muttered and hoped that Rider was able to hear, “I’ll find a way for you to volunteer so you can be close to me  _ and _ you can explore a bit.” 

No response. Either way, it doesn’t matter. He has work to—

“Hey, you’re late! Or...well, on time.” Quinn walked in, flashes of red and blue staining his body like paint, and sat down next to Jace giving the same usual smile. “Usually, you make a point of being early.”

He moved in for a hug and, out of guilt, Jace reluctantly accepted it expecting the same thing to happen from last night. Pain. Coldness. Fear. He kept his eyes shut waiting for something only to realize his friend had already moved a good distance away, that same smile hiding the dark blue gathering in his head. On Quinn’s right hand were a set of Command Spells, just like Jace’s except they seemed to be jewels instead of a cobra.

He has a Servant too, then. Jace started to wonder if they were here too, just like Rider was for him. There wasn’t anyone in the locker room but them. It would be easy for one of them to be killed and get covered up thanks to Magecraft. Knowing Quinn, he’s probably gonna try and take advantage of that. 

“Easy, I’m not aiming to...you know.” He mimicked slicing his throat and glanced at the door to make sure no one was looking. “I’d rather not kill my best friend, at least not in public. I’m just nice like that.”

“You could just not kill your best friend. Like at all.” Jace murmured a response, trying to focus on changing into his scrubs instead of on Quinn. Just seeing him covered in the myriad of colors made him want to jump off a roof.

He swallowed a handful of pills dry along with the pain welling in his throat before heading out. Quinn grabbed onto his shoulder and Jace expected electricity to shock his nerves. 

Nothing again.

“You should surrender while you still can.” His voice wavered only for a moment before steeling itself again. “Hand over your Servant and your Command Spells, and we won’t have to fight.”

“Can we save the negotiations for another time?” Jace wrenched Quinn’s hand off. He didn’t want to deal with this so early in the morning. Hell, he’d rather not even see Quinn if he could choose. At least, not until this war is over. Maybe after this is done then things could go back to normal. “I have work to do.”

With that, he left before Quinn could get another word in. Jace felt a presence wrap around him before Rider’s teasing voice spoke in his head. “ _ Falling out?” _

“Shut up.”

The ER was packed today, and the sight of green covering almost all of the patients made his heart drop. 

“Doctor Alburn, there you are!” One of the nurses, Emily, came rushing towards Jace already holding his clipboard that was filled with patient names. “We’ve been getting a lot of sick people...obviously.”

“A-alright, I’ll try to get them as much help as possible.” Jace took the clipboard and went to one of his first patients, a young child who was only eight years old. Putting on his best smile, he warmly greeted the kid and their parents. “Hey, uh, Alex! I’m Doctor Alburn, and I suppose I’ll be with you today.”

Jace softly punched the kid in the shoulder and reached into his pocket, fishing out a lollipop from nowhere. He gave it to Alex’s parents saying, “when you’re feeling better, just know that you got a treat in store for later.”

Looking through the clipboard, it seems that his parents reported a severe flu that wouldn’t go away. He turned towards them, two mothers with worried looks on their faces, and smiled. “Rest assured, Alex is in safe hands. And...when did these symptoms start?”

“About a week ago, we went to the doctor and got them some medicine.” One of them muttered. “It didn’t make their symptoms go away, and Alex suddenly fainted during breakfast and we didn’t know what to do!”

“Well, you came to the right place. I’ll do my best.” He took another look at the kid, now taking note of the sea of a dark green swarming his body, especially their lungs. Alex coughed, muttering something in a raspy voice, and held up their hands making Jace’s heart drop. Black light clung to the fingertips, and there seemed to be hints of rotting under the nails as well. It wasn’t severe to where it covered the whole finger, but it still prompted worry.

Jace held Alex’s hands up to the parents who let out a sudden gasp. There was something else he needed to check as well. With the parent’s and the kid’s consent, he checked the feet as well and found that the legs were swollen, although there was no sign of that gangrene appearance like on the fingers. Still, the mass of purple on his legs was getting darker. Soon, it would turn black. 

For a young kid to experience this is new to him, and it was concerning as well. If his fingers are going gangrene, then his bloodflow is obviously being restricted. There’s an infection in his lungs, and he could even spot dots of green moving throughout the body meaning that it’s spread to the blood as well. 

“I’m thinking Alex has an infection, we’re gonna put the little guy on some antibiotics while I attend to my next patient. Is that ok?” The parents nodded and Jace stood up to go find one of the nurses. He made sure to flash a smile to Alex hoping that it would calm their nerves. “Sorry to leave, kiddo, but I’ll be back soon. Don’t worry!”

The next patient on the list was someone around his age. Twenty-two years old, a male who got sick from a party. His roommates took him here, and they seemed to be watching over him with faces full of panic and worry. One of them, a boy with brown eyes and messy hair, immediately let go of the patient’s hand the moment Jace checked in on them. 

Jace decided not to say anything. He read through the information and noticed another familiar set of symptoms. A flu that never went away. “Hey, I’m Doctor Alburn! So...how long has Rufus been sick?”

“A-a week! We were out on a da—” the man coughed, “a day in the park when he fell unconscious. I-I brought him here as fast as I could.”

He looked at Rufus, whose lungs glowed an eerie dark green and his fingertips were much darker than Alex’s. This time, they seemed to encompass more of his fingers. A dark grey verging on black coated the patient’s legs, and they were swollen as well. “He’s got a nasty infection, I’ll put him on some antibiotics and check back later after attending to my patients. If you haven’t already seen, the hospital’s a bit packed today. Mind if I ask your name?”

“Matthew. I’m...Matthew.” 

“Well, trust that he’s in good hands, Matthew.” Jace was about to leave when he stopped and turned around, giving Matthew a knowing glance. “Just to make sure  _ you’re _ not possibly infected, you two haven’t kissed or anything, right?”

Matthew blushed and he shook his head, a hint of a smile on his face as he murmured, “we actually just started dating right before he got sick.”

“Alright, well let’s hope that he didn’t spread his flu to you as well. I’ll check back later.” Jace smiled to himself seeing the way Matthew’s eyes lit up when looking at Rufus. It was cute and definitely a welcome sight to brighten up his day. 

Patient after patient after patient all had similar symptoms. The other nurses and doctors noticed this too, and one of Jace’s higher ups already went to alert of a possible outbreak of this disease. They all thought it was a reoccurrence of the black death by the gangrene extremities, flu-like symptoms, and other such signs of the plague that ravaged Europe centuries ago.

But they’ve never seen an outbreak of this scale before, especially not in America. The amount of cases each year rarely even break double digits, and now there were tons of people infected by it. Luckily, modern medicine has advanced to where antibiotics can easily take care of it, but it was still concerning.

While he wanted to spend time looking over the patients, Jace’s stomach compelled him to go and find something to eat. He got changed before heading out of the hospital where Rider had materialized next to him now wearing a tank top and navy blue shorts. “I did some shopping while you were gone. How’s work so far?”

“Didn’t I ask you not to stray too far?”

“Yeah, and I got bored.” Rider shrugged, and Jace realized that he probably couldn’t control his Servant in those regards. As long as he stayed safe, then that was fine with him.

“Well, as long as you didn’t spend like a hundred thousand dollars then I don’t mind what you do.” He shrugged and looked through the different stores around the area. “I’m just heading out for lunch. I need to clear my head or something.”

“Bad day?”

“For hospital reasons, I’m not allowed to disclose that information.” The streets were too packed with strangers for him to be able to talk about it. He didn’t want anything, much less news of an outbreak, to get out before it could be confirmed. Do HIPAA guidelines even apply to magical familiars? “We’ll talk about it after work. I just want to get some food in me.”

Starbucks would have to do. His and Quinn’s lunch breaks usually lined up, so Jace wanted to avoid a chance of seeing him since his friend hated Starbucks for some odd reason. He also disliked Starbucks—moreso for the coffee instead of, in Quinn’s words, ”the capitalist overlords overworking their employees and also putting too much ice in my goddamn drink.”

He got a sandwich and some peach tea while Rider got almost every food item on there and water. He said something about wanting to try all the food in the modern world while he still can, although Jace’s mind was clouded with thoughts of all the patients in the hospital. An outbreak like this was unnatural, almost magical in nature.

Could this be the work of a Servant? Were mages really so ruthless to resort to sacrificing innocent people just to win some wish?

Rider poked him in the cheek, shocking Jace out of his thoughts. “Hello? Earth to Master!”

“D-didn’t I ask you to call me Jace?” He sputtered out a response and looked at the crowd around him. No one seemed to bat an eye at Rider calling him that. Then again, this is New York City and he’s definitely seen some weird stuff happening on the streets even in the middle of the day.

“I’ll call you that when you’ve earned it.” Rider scoffed. “I’m not that easy to impress, even if my Master happens to be a first-rate mage.”

“Well...I guess I can’t really force you to do anything.” He knew that he could—eying the Command Seals on his hand—but it didn’t sit right with him. These powerful spells were precious, and he didn’t want to waste them just to make Rider listen to his demands. 

They arrived back at the hospital where Rider went back into his Spirit form, and his presence seemed to cling to Jace as he went to the locker room. 

“Enjoy your lunch?” Quinn was there again with that same cheeky grin. “You weren’t at the pizza place, I had to eat with my Servant instead of you.”

“So you  _ do _ have a Servant, then?” Jace sat down next to him and began to change into a fresh pair of scrubs. It was obvious by the Command Seals, but he wanted to make absolute certainty. 

Quinn held up his right hand, flashing the three glowing jewels etched onto his skin. Even without activating them, they held a lot of magical energy. “Yeah, I had to summon another because  _ someone _ took the one I was going to summon. I was hoping to get him in a Saber or Lancer form, but I guess the timing wasn’t right.”

“So you know who he is?”

“Of course I know!” He paused and stared at Jace with a mischievous smirk. “You’re trying to guess who he is, I assume?”

Jace decided not to answer. The both of them already knew what his answer would be. Quinn’s excitement faded, instead replaced by a cold aura as he shoved a bag inside his locker. “Meet me at the rooftop after work.”

“You’re trying to lead me into a trap, aren’t you?”

“I’m trying to save your life if you agree to my terms.” Quinn stood up and slowly slithered away without a sound. 

“ _ We should go. _ ” Rider’s voice made his heart jump, and he immediately clutched his chest on instinct.

“Why? I know Q, and it’s obvious he’ll do something if I don’t agree to what he wants.” Jace hung his head and sighed, “and...I don’t plan on surrendering anytime soon.”

“ _ Let’s see what he’s really made of, maybe we’ll get to see the Servant he summoned.” _

That was definitely true. He knew Quinn well, which also means he could possibly determine what happens on that rooftop. It would certainly be risky, but Jace had a feeling that Rider would save him. Or at least, he hoped that Rider would save him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was cold all the way up here, especially considering it was the middle of the night. Jace left the elevator—the chilled air sweeping over him—and locked eyes with Quinn. There were people here other than the two of them and their respective Servants. Red silhouettes from their magical energy expenditure made it obvious, although he had a feeling that Quinn knew that.

“So, as the current heir of the Rambert family, I’m here to offer you a proposition.” Quinn leaned against the building’s rails, tapping his fingers against the metal and making a tiny clinking sound. “If you surrender both Rider and your Command Seals, we’ll protect you from any harm and give you enough jewels to last generations. I’ll also personally pardon you for taking my Servant.”

Jace looked around. The only exit was through either a long stairwell or an elevator. Jumping off a building didn’t seem like much of an option other than a last resort or a way to get himself killed in the process. He counted the number of red silhouettes, clenching his hand for each one to hopefully alert Rider to their threats. “And if I don’t agree to it?”

“ _ So...there’s fifteen people huh? Jeez, he really does come prepared, huh?” _

“Well, let’s just say I can’t protect you from what might happen in the near future.” Quinn smirked. He pushed off the rail and stepped towards Jace, heels clicking against the concrete, before holding out his right hand. “So, got a deal?”

Jace took a deep breath, letting fresh air rush into his lungs. Being all the way up here, the scent of cigarettes was like an afterthought. Still, it never did quite hold that same familiar feeling as home. To be able to go home and have everything go back to normal was quite appealing. He could go back to being friends with Quinn, go on their regular trips to bookstores and coffee shops, joke about the days, play video games all night. He could even help Q find a date like back in college. 

He clasped Quinn’s hand tight, the seals on the both of their hands glowing bright, and the latter smiled. “You made the right—”

_ Unfortunately, things could never go back to normal. _

Quinn recoiled immediately and looked in shock at his seared palm. He grit his teeth and shouted, “alright, if you wanna play it that way! Lancer!”

Out of the corner of his eye, a spear strikingly similar to Rider’s aimed straight for his head. Jace managed to dodge out of the way and focused heat into the palm of his left hand, blasting a wave of fire in the Servant’s face. He leapt away and caught a good look at Lancer. They were dressed from head to toe in silver armor, a shield in their left hand and a spear in their right. The Servant’s face was concealed by a helmet that glowed a bright red from the heat. 

He didn’t even get a chance to rest as Lancer thrust their shield into his face. Luckily, Rider—now back in his armor—intercepted the blow with his sword. “Finally, a fight!” 

“Be careful, Rider! I’ll try to help!” Jace tried to touch Rider’s shoulder but was met with a shock of electricity through his nerves. As the two Servants clashed, Quinn had appeared in front of his face with a curved sword in hand. 

“Forgetting someone?” Quinn had a crazed grin on his face as he tried to cut Jace in half.

Jace reached into his pocket and retrieved the dagger that Quinn had given him last night, steel singing in a monstrous symphony as they crossed blades. The latter already had a fist aimed at his stomach, but he pushed it out of the way. The sound of thunder behind him made his ears ring. “I-I don’t want to fight you, Quinn!”

“You should’ve surrendered then!” Quinn kicked Jace’s legs from under him, immediately jabbing at his chest. 

Focusing on the water in the air, an icicle shot from the floor and blocked Quinn’s attack. Jace twisted and landed on his hand, pushing against the ground to flip back onto his feet. He looked at Rider and Lancer who were poking at each other with their spears. 

Jace’s hand glowed and ice formed around Quinn’s legs. He took the opportunity to sprint towards Rider who had already backed away far enough that they came into contact with each other before anyone could intervene. A large amount of magical energy was sucked out of him, but it obviously made a difference in the Servant’s movements. 

He didn’t have enough time to celebrate when the air was suddenly knocked out of him. Quinn’s fist twisted and launched him a good few feet away. Jace clutched his stomach and dulled the pain with some of his healing magic. It wasn’t as effective when a mage heals himself, but it still made a difference in the long run. 

“You’ve gotten soft.” His friend’s body crackled with electricity. “Bit of a shame.”

“And you’re annoying.” Jace scoffed, “you’re holding back.”

He knew Quinn, and he knew when his friend was pulling punches. The guy was a prodigy in the world of both science and magecraft. Not only was he talented, but he was dangerous as well. This wasn’t Quinn’s full potential. 

“You want me to stop holding back? Fine, then.” Quinn grasped a handful of jewels and started muttering an incantation. Energy swirled around him, electricity and flames gathering at his feet. Jace knew that spell, it would destroy the entire building if he didn’t stop it. He looked at Rider who was busy fighting Lancer, although the former seemed to be winning. Thanks to Jace’s reinforcement, his movements became more agile and every strike sent a gust of wind that could’ve knocked everyone over the edge.

He can’t just kill Quinn, but the spell could potentially kill hundreds if not thousands of people! Jace’s panicked mind flew through every single possibility, every timeline resulted in one of their deaths. If he got too close, he’d just get incinerated in the flames. He could throw his dagger, but that could easily kill his friend. Then he realized.

The bear spray. It was still in his bag. Quickly, he reached inside and aimed the spray at Quinn’s eyes. The man immediately stopped the incantation to drop onto his knees and recoil in pain. 

“See?” Jace smiled to himself and pet the bear spray that now rested in his pocket. “No mage expects a dose of that in their face.”

Quinn stumbled to his feet clutching his face. Even with his eyes covered, Jace knew his friend’s anger when he saw it. He gripped his dagger tight and waited for something to happen. 

“I tried to play nice, but I guess I have no choice.” Quinn muttered and snapped his fingers. In an instant, fifteen men with guns appeared all around them aiming at either him or Rider. “Your guns won’t do anything against Rider. If you’re bold enough to try then aim for his heel!”

The heel. Thirteen out of the fifteen switched their gazes to Jace but two kept their sights on Rider. Jace’s eyes widened in realization, and he dove towards his Servant with a hand outstretched right as the gunfire rang. Rider seemed to notice and pushed Lancer away just in time.

He slammed his fist against the ground and yelled, “ _ Schild au Eis! _ ”

A dome of solid ice grew from around them and blocked the flurry of bullets. Jace scrambled to his feet and poured as much of his focus into maintaining the barrier to the point where the very air sround him froze. Despite every bullet feeling like a jab in the gut, he managed to give Rider a smile. “Looks like I made it just in time. Are you hurt?”

“Me? Hurt? Clearly, I chose the wrong Master.” Rider laughed and took the bear spray from his pocket. “You need to get me one of these things some time.”

The men didn’t seem to be letting up. For some reason, Lancer didn’t bother to attack and instead helped Quinn to his feet. That Servant could’ve easily shattered their barrier, but he didn’t. 

“Well, if we get out alive then I’ll put that on my to-do list.” Jace’s barrier was slowly being chipped away by the constant gunfire. He should’ve expected them to basically have an unlimited supply of ammo on hand. Unfortunately, his magical energy wasn’t unlimited thanks to using most of it on Rider. “I...I don’t think I can hold it for long!”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got the perfect plan.” He clasped Jace’s shoulder and grinned. “Trust me on this, Jace!”

Rider called him by his name. That means he obviously did something to impress him. Was it his fighting? He didn’t even know, but it made his chest burn with pride knowing that he could do something meaningful. “I trust you...Achilles.”

“Take the barrier down and jump off.” 

“Ok, maybe I don’t trust you.” Jace moved his head when a bullet managed to break through their shield. “Well, I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”

“Not really.” He snickered.

Gathering energy in his hands, Jace smashed a ball of light together and unleashed a wave of flames that managed to distract the men for long enough for him to make a break towards the building’s edge. 

“W-wait, cease your fire!” Quinn’s orders made the men stop shooting—although they kept their guns positioned on Jace’s head. He stopped, sitting on the rail. When he turned to look back, Rider had disappeared. “I-it doesn’t have to end like this, Jace! Just take the damn request and give us your Servant!”

Jace mimed playing with an imaginary beard as he pursed his lips. Then he gave Quinn the middle finger and chimed, “go to hell.”

He closed his eyes and fell forwards over the building’s edge. Quinn’s distant shouts were replaced by wind rippling around him. Surprisingly, his chest was absent of the fear that clung to him like a disease. Up here, the air was nice and cool. The acrid scent of cigarette smoke was but a distant wave among the ocean of memories churning in his mind. Faces of people from the past flickered like a slideshow, days long gone played and he watched his life flash before his eyes up until this very moment. 

A whistle pierced the air and seconds later, Jace felt an arm wrap around him. He opened his eyes and saw that the two of them were on a chariot pulled by three horses, a trail of green lightning left in their wake as they quickly soared away from the hospital. This must be Rider’s Noble Phantasm, powerful manifestations of objects or abilities from their lives.

“See? Told you that I had a plan.” Rider held him close, and Jace realized that they were face to face with each other. Were...his eyes always so golden? 

Jace shook the thought away and tried to find his footing on the chariot. Despite them moving at such high speeds, possibly even faster than planes, he managed to stay on without being flung into open air. Most of it was thanks to Rider, but the powers of Servants still astounded him even now. 

“W-wait! My car!” Jace’s voice cracked. They couldn’t go back to the hospital with Quinn and his Servant still there, at least not until the daytime so that there’d be more witnesses to protect them.

“Don’t worry, I took it for a joyride while you were gone. It’s back at your house.

The panic in his chest faded, and he let out a sigh of relief. Wait. Rider...drove his car? As in, a man from Ancient Greece drove a modern day vehicle in the packed streets of New York?! “W-wait, you better have not—”

“Easy, my Riding skill makes it so that I can operate vehicles too. I could even pilot one of those things if I wanted to!” He pointed at a plane in the distance taking off from the airport. Jace relaxed again, although he hoped that Rider’s words were true and that the car was fine. There were too many memories to let go of in that thing. 

Rider swept Jace into his arms and leapt from the chariot, landing in the middle of an alleyway. Bringing the chariot to the ground would draw too much attention, so they both decided it would be easier to walk back to his house once they got close enough. 

He hopped onto his feet only to realize that the extent to which he used his magical energy was much more than he expected. Jace leaned against the wall for support and took a moment to concentrate on his breathing despite each movement sending a wave of pain throughout his entire body. Rider had approached him, but he shook his head and said, “sorry, I just didn’t expect to be this exhausted from that. I’m...not as suited for fighting as I used to be.”

“Used to?” 

“That’s a conversation for another time.” Jace pushed off the wall and felt the weight of the world bearing down on his aching joints. He took a few shaky steps and managed to relearn how to walk with legs of jelly, creating trails of ice behind him with each step. “I need food...that took a lot out of me.”

With Rider’s help, he managed to arrive at a McDonald’s before collapsing on one of the tables outside. Jace let him order anything that he wanted and watched the Servant head inside. He was still in his armor, but it probably didn’t matter in this city or for the sleep deprived workers inside.

Getting McDonald’s at 2 AM is something that he and Quinn used to do during college. Q always stayed up to cram for tests and assignments, and the only thing that would be open was either a Taco Bell or McDonald’s. 

Almost on cue, his phone rang and displayed Quinn’s name as “my platonic idiot” whcih made Jace smile to himself. 

“Hey,” he said, “sorry for making you worry for a second there.”

“Sorry? Sorry is all you can give me?” Jace held his phone away from his ear as Quinn’s shouts grew louder. “I thought you were going to die!”

“What do you mean?! You were literally trying to kill me two seconds ago!” 

“Ok, look, I have standards that need to be met and killing yourself isn’t one of them.” Quinn sighed and silence hung over them like a dense fog. Jace wondered if his friend was going to say anything else, or if they were just going to stay on call the rest of the night. At the very least, he didn’t mind staying on call even if only for a second. Now that things have changed, this is the only time when they can talk as friends.

Quinn sucked in a deep breath and said in a much quieter voice than moments earlier, “so...you back home yet?”

“No, I’m waiting for Rider to get some food. We’re at a McDonald’s right now.” He took the moment to peer through the glass and saw Rider waiting with a tiny kid’s meal in hand. Knowing him, he probably ordered way too much food than necessary. Well, being a doctor has its benefits at least.

“Ooooh, think he’d get me a toy?”

“I mean he did get a kid’s meal….” Jace muttered, “if he agrees, then you owe us.”

“Fine...I’ll see you at work in a few days. I’ll get some donuts or something.” With that, Quinn hung up—Jace stared at his phone, thumb hovering over Quinn’s contact, before he shoved it inside his pocket and buried his face in his hands. A part of him wishes he took the deal, so that he could just go back to a normal life, but everything told him that it wouldn’t be right. He didn’t want to abandon Rider like this. 

“McDonald’s is pretty cheap. Who knew?” Rider had a skip in his step as he carefully cradled a few bags and drinks to their table. He set the kid’s meal and eagerly opened it, fishing out a tiny Iron Man figurine. 

“If you let me give that to Quinn, then he’ll get us donuts before work.” It’s clear that Jace’s offer had worked as Rider immediately handed him the figurine. He smiled even though doing so took up way too much energy and retrieved a cheeseburger from one of the bags. 

The two of them ate in silence—Rider was eager to try anything and everything, and he ate much more than his fair share of burgers by the time Jace had spoken up. “Y-you called me Jace earlier...why?”

“I’ll tell you if you tell me your wish for the Grail.” Rider said in between chewing. “I’ve already made my decision, but I want to know if what I’m fighting for is good.”

There was only one thing in his mind that he wanted from the Grail. One  _ person _ that he wanted from the Grail. The one person that had left his belongings scattered across the ocean of memories. 

“Remember when I asked if the Grail could bring someone back to life?” Jace picked and folded at an empty burger wrapper, feeling his eyes already start to water just thinking about his wish. “That’s my wish. I want to bring someone back. Someone that I loved.”

Rider perked at Jace’s response before smiling, those once sharp eyes had gained a softness to them. “What was her name?”

A moment passed. Then another. 

Jace burst out into quiet laughter and pulled out his phone. He searched through his photos until finding an album entitled “summer memories” filled with a gallery of pictures and sketches. Most of them were of him doing the most mundane things ever, but there were a few that included another alongside him. A boy. A boy who made his heart race. His eyes were a startling forest green, his skin was a much darker shade of brown than Jace’s, and his soft hair was always gelled so it never felt as nice when his fingers ran through them.

“ _ His _ name was Alexander Dietrich.” Jace gazed wistfully at the boy that he once loved, clutching his phone just a bit tighter than before. “Alec was the love of my life, but...I suppose life had different plans.”

He couldn’t look at the pictures anymore. Even if he wanted to, the tears blurred his vision too much and he frantically rubbed at his eyes until they stung. “I-it’s been three years. Three years since his death, and...I guess I haven’t moved on even after all that time.”

“I’m sorry….” Rider seemed uncomfortable, shifting around in his seat and ripping a chicken nugget into tiny pieces. 

“N-no, I’m sorry for ruining the mood. I...didn’t mean to.” Jace had tried to force a smile, but it appears as if the tears and the memories weighed too heavily on him. Instead, he swallowed his pills dry alongside the pain caught in his throat and felt his memories sink back below the surface. 

“Guess I’ll have to work a bit harder to win now, huh?” His words offered Jace a bit of comfort, and the possibility of Alec coming back suddenly seemed a bit closer. 

Without a word, Jace leaned in and wrapped his arms around Rider as tight as possible, hiding the way the corners of his lips curled up into a gentle smile. A chance. With his Servant at his side, he had a chance to get Alec back. “Thank you, Achilles.”

“Ah, come on, you’ll end up making me soft.” Rider pushed him away despite the way his eyes glittered with excitement. “That’s what heroes do, anyways. They should work to grant people’s wishes.”

“Well, I seem to have that effect on people.” Jace stood up and had to hold onto Rider’s shoulder to stop himself from falling. “S-sorry.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll get us back.” Before he knew it, Rider had swept him—in a literal sense of course—off his feet. Jace reached over and cradled all of their leftovers before they started soaring over rooftops and buildings. It’s only been two days, and yet he still gazed at the view of the city in amazement. He hoped that he’d never get tired of this sea of lights, as it reminded him of the day he met a certain green-haired Rider.

“When we win this, I wanna take you out of the city.” Jace got to his feet and hurriedly unlocked the door to his house. “All the lights and stuff are nice but they cloud the look of the night sky.”

“When?” Rider slipped inside the moment the door cracked open and leaped onto the couch. He seemed to enjoy the thing, although Jace would admit that the sofa Quinn chose was very comfy. “You’re awfully confident, aren’t you?”

“We make a good team, don’t we? Jace and Achilles! Winners of the Holy Grail War!” Jace cheered and laughed to himself at the sound of it, closing the door behind him as he went inside. While the War itself was just starting, he hoped that they’d win. Out of all of them, Quinn was probably the most dangerous of all the Masters unless someone like the Tohsaka family decided to participate. Granted, he didn’t really know any of them, and hopefully he’d be able to find out who they are along with their Servants. 

He placed the bags of food down on the coffee table before heading down the hall and up the stairs to his bedroom. That fight took quite a bit out of him, and he wanted to rest up for a bit. Jace changed into some comfier clothes and took a shower before wrapping himself into a blanket burrito. 

His thoughts were scattered. That Servant, Lancer, that Quinn had contracted with. Who was he? He didn’t recognize the armor as any insignias on it were shaved off or hidden. Then there was the woman from the night he summoned Rider, most likely the Archer Servant. There weren’t any blonde women from history who commanded dogs and shot magic arrows, at least none that he could think about. That still left four others that he didn’t know about. Saber, Caster, Assassin, and Berserker.

Then there was Achilles. The famed hero of the Iliad and one of the most well known heroes from Greek Mythology. His agility and strength were unparalleled, but it was his heel that had sealed his fate. He knew who Achilles was—he’s read the Iliad before, but there were still a few things he didn’t quite understand. 

Perhaps, some databases could help him. His contacts in the Mage's Association had revealed a catalogue of information on many different Servants, their abilities, and their Noble Phantasms. Jace sighed knowing that sleep would once again not come and rolled out of bed, slithering to his desk to go and find information. 

As he called and waited and called some more, Jace noticed something poking out of one of the drawers out of the corner of his eye. He wiggled his arms out of his blanket cocoon and reached towards it, pulling out a book engraved with a golden helmet. 

Ah, it was that book. 

He smiled to himself and flipped through the pages, the familiar scent of Alec’s cologne still clung to the paper. This was his favorite book. 

The Song of Achilles. 

It told the story of the Iliad through the eyes of Patroclus and framed his relationship with Achilles as more romantic than platonic. The words flowed and had this mystique to them that always enraptured him until he realized that he had already read through the entire thing for the hundredth time. 

And Jace was halfway through reading the book when he felt a tap on his left shoulder. He whirled around and came face to face with Rider, a look of concern on his face. “The sun’s already up, shouldn’t you be sleeping?”

“A-Achilles! I...I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to do some research...on you.” He laughed to cover up the rapid beating of his heart and massaged at his suddenly aching neck. “S-sorry if that sounds weird or something.”

“I am kinda famous, I don’t blame you.” Rider ruffled Jace’s hair teasingly and leaned on the desk, staring at the laptop screen with a curious gaze.“You could’ve just asked me. No one knows me better than myself.”

“I...didn’t want to bother you, is all.” Jace yelped when Rider snatched the book from within his cocoon. Panic and embarrassment flooded him, and he carefully watched as Achilles pensively scanned the pages. What would he even think? 

His face softened only slightly and only for a brief moment that Jace almost didn’t catch it. Rider’s eyes glistened and he closed the book with a gentle smile, taking a deep breath. “Is it ok if I can hold onto this for a little bit?”

“Um...sure, just give it back to me eventually. I...I really like that book.” He retreated into his cocoon to hide the obvious redness spreading through his face. How could he not be embarrassed? Imagine telling someone that your favorite book is literally about that person! 

Achilles pocketed the book and coughed, signaling a change in the subject. “You should get to sleep while you have the time.”

Jace chuckled at the notion. Sleep has become unfamiliar to him ever since he moved here. Because sleep always results in memories resurfacing, and memories lead to nightmares. Nightmares just bring more memories and more pain until suddenly, what was once treasured dearly becomes the thing he fears most.

Memories.

“I couldn’t sleep even if I wanted to,” he murmured, “I’ll be fine. My healing magic keeps me up anyways.”

“But….” Achilles frowned. Jace was almost convinced that he managed to convince him until he found himself being carried out of the room. 

“A-Achilles, what are you—“

“Well, if you can’t sleep, we might as well do something fun, right?” He unrolled Jace out of his blanket and onto the couch. “I’ve always wanted to do that, uh, morning coffee run that people talk about.”

Jace grumbled, accepting his fate and shocking himself with another dose of healing magic to keep him awake. He was about to say that he could make some coffee when the grim realization that they still didn’t have groceries smacked him right in the face. “We can get groceries instead, I’ll make some coffee for you.”

Achilles shrugged and started heading towards the door. “That’s good too.”

He stood up to join and realized that the TV was still on. It was turned to a news channel, talking about how the Apollo Theatre had caught fire an hour ago. Luckily, the damage wasn’t too bad but no one knows what or who caused it. He turned it off and hurried out before Achilles got too far away. “W-wait for me!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Servant: Lancer  
> True Name: ???  
> Master: Quinn Rambert  
> Parameters:  
> Strength: B  
> Endurance: A-  
> Agility: B-  
> Mana: C  
> Luck: D  
> NP: A-  
> Class Skills:  
> Riding B  
> Magic Resistance C  
> Madness Enhancement E+  
> *please note that I'm bad when it comes to creating parameters for Servants so uh oops*


	3. A Dance of Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Today marks the beginning of the Holy Grail War. The famed Rambert family holds a celebration inviting the seven Masters and Servants to their prestigious estate outside of New York City. Here, Jace meets his enemies, or perhaps even allies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, you made it to chapter 3! Welcome! I'm hoping that y'all are enjoying and I'm also hoping that the way I portray my characters (especially Achilles). In this chapter, we meet the Masters and their Servants! I wonder who they might be?

Going to Walmart at six in the morning was unique to say the least. The empty store was occasionally visited by tired parents, crackheads, and weirdos like Jace and Rider. Achilles zoomed through all of the aisles, marveling at the vast amounts of food on display. He begged to get this and that and this until their cart was piled with an assortment of different foods—they haven’t even gotten any coffee beans yet.

“I thought you wanted coffee.” Jace yawned. He had mostly decided to hole up in the candy aisle as Achilles’ speed in maneuvering through the store made trying to catch up on a shopping cart pointless. Still, he didn’t trust the Servant with choosing out the right coffee. “I’ll just get it, can you stick by the shopping cart while I’m gone?”

“Fine, just be quick. There were some other things I wanted to get.”

He waved Achilles a quick farewell before skipping over to the aisle with bags of many different coffees lining the wall. There were also a few teas that had interested him along with the necessary additions that were essential to a perfect cup of coffee. Jace ran his hand through each bag before settling on one of his favorites. Taking a bag or two, he dashed back to the shopping cart with a triumphant air about him. 

Achilles was waiting for him, whistling a random tune and tapping against the shopping cart. His face lit up when he saw Jace, and he went to take all of the stuff out of his hands. 

“Y-you don’t have to….” Jace’s voice trailed off. There was no stopping that man, no matter how much he tried. That much is certain even if they’ve only known each other for less than a week. “So, is there anyth—”

His phone rang. Loudly. He jolted out of surprise and pulled his phone from his pocket, fumbling around with it as he looked at the contact name. It was Quinn, but he’s not usually awake at his hour which was certainly odd.

Still, he can’t just ignore him. Jace pressed accept and put it on speaker so that Achilles could hear as well. “Hey, Q, what’s got you up at seven in the morning?”

“Ok, look, I don’t have much time.” Quinn’s hurried voice was a bit crackly, as if he was in the middle of nowhere or maybe going under a tunnel. “But you’re gonna have to take the day off today.”

“W-what? Why?”

“What else could it be?! The Holy Grail War,” he declared, “it’s officially beginning tomorrow.”

Officially. Does that mean that all seven of the Servants have been summoned? It seems Achilles had the same thought as Jace as he nodded his head with a look that screamed bloodlust. “Hope you’re ready for a fight.”

Quinn coughed and caught the both of their attention once again. A few seconds passed, and a few random numbers had joined the call totalling up to seven. There was a cacophonous mess of them asking who was calling and who these people were until Quinn started to speak once again.

“My name is Quentin Rambert, heir to the Rambert family who is hosting the Holy Grail War here in New York City. I am one of the Masters who will be participating, and my father would like to formally invite each and every one of you to a party being held at his estate in the countryside. There will be other people, and it is likely to be televised, but the seven of us will be the main focus of the event.”

“The Servants will not have to expose their True Names, correct?” A man’s voice spoke, light and rhythmic almost like a poet. 

“No, they will not. There will also be no fights between Servants during this party and for the rest of the night so as to allow the seven of us to prepare.” Jace heard the sound of papers rustling in the background before Quinn continued. “I ask that the six of you arrive come four in the afternoon and make sure that you all dress as nicely as you can. If you do not have any other questions about the nature of this event, then you are free to exit this call.”

It was odd to hear Quinn speak so formally, even moreso to hear him call himself by his full name. Quentin. Jace looked at the phone screen and waited for the other five people to leave so that he could speak to his friend in some sort of privacy, even if that privacy was talking in the middle of a grocery store. 

“So, how’d you like my speech? Nice, right?” Jace let out a sigh of relief hearing his friend’s cheerful demeanor come back. “I totally sounded like a pretentious rich heir to a wealthy family, huh?”

“Well, that’s because you are, but I didn’t expect your family to be hosting this event. I know they’re powerful, but...not  _ this _ powerful.” The Rambert family was probably the most well known and the most powerful of the Magus families in America. It wasn’t that hard of an achievement considering the lack of magical presence here, but to say that they were weak would be as far from the truth as it could ever be. “The government’s not interfering with this, right? Or...any government that your family’s associated with?”

“I fucking hope not, but my parents haven’t told me everything about this thing.” Quinn sighed, “I’m at my parent’s estate now helping with preparations, but Lancer should be at your house waiting for you guys. We can group up at my place and then go shopping for clothes.”

“But—”

“And I know for a fact that none of the clothes you have are up to par.” He snapped.

Jace sighed, but he entertained the idea of seeing Achilles in a suit. Still, formal dress wasn’t exactly his thing. He can bear with it, but not if there’s tons of likely rich people who are gonna be there. “This is making up for you stealing my food, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Yes it is. I’ll see you two there.”

Quinn ended the call and left Jace in some sort of daze. Achilles shook him by the shoulder, gesturing to their overflowing shopping cart. “Guess that coffee’s gonna have to wait, huh?”

He appreciated Rider’s attempts at making him laugh, but it was still a lot to process. Jace pocketed his phone and ignored the growing worry in his chest, pushing the cart to checkout to go pay for everything. “Don’t worry, I’ll make you a cup of coffee if it’s the last thing I do.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

True to Quinn’s word, Lancer was waiting for them at their front door. Achilles didn’t seem much like talking to the Servant, so he just pushed past them carrying all the groceries in one hand leaving the two of them alone. 

Jace held out his hand and noticed that Lancer wasn’t wearing that armor anymore. His face was mostly concealed by a facemask of some sorts, revealing only brown eyes and gelled dark brown hair. He then removed it exposing a stubbled chin and sharp jawline. The Servant wore a three-piece grey suit and a blue tie, his muscles rippled slightly as he shook Jace’s hand. “So you’re the one that Master talks about all the time.”

“I-it’s nice to formally meet you too, I guess.” Jace managed a smile despite the overwhelming aura that Lancer had. “Sorry for blasting you with a face full of fire.”

“No harm done, luckily.” Lancer chuckled, “all’s fair in the art of war, huh?”

Achilles stepped out and said, “all the groceries are inside, so now what?”

Lancer gestured to the Tesla parked next to Jace’s car. “We’ll be meeting up with Quinn so that he can get you guys some clothes for the party this afternoon. I’ll take you two there.”

Jace watched him saunter towards the car, a sense of suspicion arising in his chest. Achilles gripped his shoulder tight and whispered in his ear, “don’t worry. He’s not laying a finger on you.”

“R-right.” 

He stayed close to Achilles as they got in the backseat, the familiar roar of the electrical engine at least brought a little bit of comfort to Jace’s beating heart. After seeing Lancer in combat and knowing that they were basically enemies, it was terrifying just to be close to him. He seemed kind, sure, but there was an aura that just felt slightly offputting. Almost like Achilles’ bloodlust crystallized into a spell. 

“So...how long have you and Quinn been friends?” Lancer’s voice made him jump, causing the Servant to laugh.

“U-um...since college, so...nine years now?” Jace stammered, “we both graduated at an early age, which is why we’re both doctors despite being young.”

“Impressive, and you two are also mages, right?” He waved his free hand around as he spoke. “Well, you have to be considering you’re participating in this thing.”

“I’m sure Quinn had already told you everything about me and my family.”

Lancer raised his arms in defeat and glanced at Jace with a mischievous grin. “Just wanted to get some conversation going.”

“What do you know about Jace, anyways?” Achilles narrowed his eyes at Lancer, “I doubt it’s much.”

“Probably more than you, Rider. Unlike yours, my Master isn’t afraid to speak his mind.” 

This was getting way too out of hand. Both of their magical energy levels were rising by the second, and a fight could break out any second knowing Achilles. “Let’s keep things civilized, for both my sake and Quinn’s.”

“Fine. Quinn did say that you’re the boss when he’s not around.”

Jace was never one for the glamorous, unlike his friend. He had to admit, though, that Quinn’s penthouse was nice to live in and was much more spacious than his house. It was located in the heart of the city, towering so high up that you could see over the tops of a few of the buildings and the cars were like ants skittering along the ground.

As Lancer unlocked the door, they were all greeted with a massive modern style home with blindingly white floors and tables. Massive windows lined the walls, displaying an almost 360-degree view of the city. Achilles’ eyes glowed at the sight, and Jace watched him run around and flop onto a massive couch with a yell. 

“Is...he always like this?” Lancer bumped him in the side. 

“Pretty much, it’s kinda cute though, isn’t it?” Jace sat down next to Achilles, sighing in relief at the soft feather pillows and cozy blankets sprawled out all over the living room. The huge flat screen tv was even voice activated, and he turned on to a random channel displaying a cartoon of sorts. “I missed this.”

And he missed Quinn, most of all. Even if only for a moment, they were able to be friends again. 

“My Master will be here soon, I’ll wait for him outside.” Lancer disappeared in a flash of light, leaving him and Achilles all alone. Rider’s energy disappeared the moment the Servant left, instead his gaze was filled with curiosity and even a bit of concern.

“R-Rider? What’s wrong?” He didn’t want to risk exposing Rider’s true identity, especially with such an obvious weakspot. 

“There really isn’t much that I know about you, is there?” Rider huffed, “I guess it’s the nature of these things, but it’s a bit sad.”

“Well...what do you want to know? We’re friends, so I guess I can talk about these things.” Jace nudged him in the side trying to give a friendly smile. Based on what Lancer said, Quinn had already said everything so there was no harm in talking about his past or his abilities. 

“Your magic. You say you’re not a fighter but your movements say otherwise.” He said. “Hell, it’s enough that I’d be tempted to fight you if you weren’t my Master.”

Jace nodded. He pulled on his shirt collar, letting magic flow through his body and exposing a tiny symbol on his carotid artery. His magical crest. “My family, the Alburns, have had a presence here in America for a while. We specialize in both healing magic and reinforcement, although the world mostly knows us for our healing. Healing magic is essential, yes, but there aren’t many family lines who would specialize in such a thing since it’s not useful for fighting.”

“Well, it helped a lot earlier. And what was with all the ice stuff? It went  _ whoosh  _ and  _ boom _ !” Rider mimicked explosion sounds and all of the actions that Jace had made yesterday during their fight. 

“That...is the Alburn’s battle magic. Alongside our healing, many of us master at least one form of offensive magic on the side. Usually, it’s elemental, and water happens to be the one I use the most despite being attuned with the other elements. My crest is imbued with almost any spell that I need relating to water and fire.” Jace held out his hand and let the water in the air condense into a puddle in his palm. Then, he froze it into the shape of a sphere before letting it explode into ice crystals and swirling it around them. “But even then, our specialty has always been healing. My family has even mastered combining healing with other forms of magic, from jewels to elements.”

“What...do you mean?”

“I mean...I can imbue other forms of magic so that they’re repurposed for healing instead. Give me your hand.” Jace took Achilles by the hand and gently massaged at it. Slowly, golden flames spewed from his fingertips and licked at the Servant’s skin.

Achilles winced for a second but watched in some sort of amazement at the flames, touching them with his other hand. “It...doesn’t hurt? It...it kinda feels good too. Warm.”

“If you were injured, it would be able to painlessly stop bleeding while repairing the damage.” A smirk crept onto Jace’s face, and he massaged at Achilles’ arm letting the golden flames coat their skin. “Of course, it can be used for more recreational purposes. Quinn makes me give him massages all the time...in return for him paying for the food or something.”

Jace let go of Achilles and watched the flames extinguish, smoke flying in tiny wisps from his fingertips. “There’s not much else I can say…. My family has been influential in the military, so they trained me to be both a soldier and a magus. I learned how to fight both through physical and nonphysical means, but...I don’t really want to fight.”

“And...why is that?” Achilles asked, a hint of redness spreading through his cheeks. “You would make a great soldier if you decided.”

That’s what everyone says. He gripped the couch a little bit tighter before sighing in resignation. He should be open with Achilles. “Because I—”

“There’s my favorite pair. Jace and mister fleetfoot in the flesh!” Quinn barged through the door in a form fitting red suit that sparkled slightly. Those were gemstones, but...they were infused with magical energy. He twirled around and posed, showing off his dress pants and clean black dancing shoes. “Like the fit?”

“Ignore my Master’s...uh, antics.” Lancer came in behind him, twirling around Quinn’s car keys. 

“You’re the one who hasn’t been stuck with him for nine years.” Jace retorted back. “So...you said we’re going shopping?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By going shopping for him and Rider, it was mostly an excuse for Quinn to buy more clothes. They roamed all of the highest end stores looking for suitable outfits that would fit, although Jace didn’t quite know what to get. So many options but none that really piqued his interest. 

Rider had disappeared as well. Lancer seemed to have piqued his interest, so they went off together to go look for clothes leaving him all alone. 

“Excuse me, do you need help with anything?” One of the employees came by dressed in a simple white button up and a red tie with some dress pants and shoes. His chestnut hair was slicked back and his red eyes were surprisingly alluring. Colored contacts, perhaps? 

“Y-yeah, actually. I have this party later and I wanted to get something nice, but I don’t really know what to get.” Jace laughed nervously. The employee took out a measuring tape and began taking his measurements and writing them down, sticking his tongue out as he looked through all the clothes. His eyes brightened and he grabbed Jace’s hand, pulling him to one of the sections of the store.

The man rummaged through the suits and shirts, displaying them out on a table. “Well, I think I have the perfect thing for a handsome guy like you.” 

It was...perfect. Jace smiled to himself and immediately rushed to the dressing room to try it out. He burst out and showed it off to the employee who gave him a round of applause. He stared at himself in the mirror, looking at the surprisingly comfy suit that he had on. It was a black tux, fit over a white shirt and a green bowtie. His pants were blue, tight enough that it wasn’t too big but flexible enough for him to move around in. It even defined his butt a little. The leather shoes that the man gave him were quite soft on the inside, and they were quite shiny as well. He even had a brooch pinned on with a white rose as the design. 

It almost reminded him of….

“Ah, thank you so much, uh...Piper.” He looked at the man’s name tag and gave him a nod in thanks before going to find Rider, a newfound confidence burned in his chest. Maybe, for once, he’d found something nice.

“Rider! Rider, where are you?” Jace ran through the store looking for his Servant. He wanted to show it off, and they could even improvise something matching despite how corny it sounds. 

“Jace?” Achilles popped out from behind a curtain with a pained look. He gestured for him to come inside. “Can...you help me fit this suit? I don’t know if it looks nice.”

“Uh, sure?” He slipped inside and found Achilles dressed in a wrinkled white dress shirt and a vest. A red tie hung over him unmade. His face was tense in a mix of concentration and frustration as he tried and failed to tie a tie. Jace laughed and undid it for him. “You look handsome.”

Jace moved Achilles in front of the mirror, slowly and carefully guiding his hands through the steps. “Ok, just follow my lead.”

They had to move a bit slowly as Achilles seemed to struggle with it, but he eventually managed to tie a perfect tie. His eyes glowed and he pulled Jace into a warm hug. 

He flinched at the sudden feeling but hid a smile and hugged Achilles back. They separated after a while and laughed together at themselves in the mirror. Jace smoothed down Achilles’ vest and asked, “you sure you don’t wanna wear anything else?”

Achilles pulled at his collar and shook his head. “Dressing fancy ain’t my thing. It’s too...tight, you know?”

“Then let’s look for something flexible. Knowing Quinn, we’re probably gonna do a bit of dancing and stuff.” Jace grabbed Achilles by the wrist and pulled him out. Maybe that employee from earlier could help them. “There was this nice man named Piper who helped me pick my clothes out. Maybe he can help you as well.”

“E-excuse me?” He asked one of the employees. She turned and flashed her nametag, Rose, and smiled at them. “Could you help my friend find something nice? We’re going to a party and he wants something a bit more flexible and freeing.”

“Of course!” She led them to a large display of neatly folded tuxes and shirts. “I’m guessing you two are going together. Would you like to match?”

“Um...sure, I guess.” Achilles looked at Jace for help who mimed zipping his lips closed. He didn’t want to intervene too much since the employees were really the experts. 

Achilles tried on a few different things, from suits to vests to pants and shoes and everything. Eventually, he came out of the dressing rooms adjusting his green tie and shoving his hands in his pockets. He wore a grey vest with a green bowtie and an orange handkerchief similar to the scarf he wears all the time.

Jace clapped excitedly and grabbed his Servant by the shoulders, looking at him in awe. “You look amazing! Does it feel nice?”

“Well, it’s not choking, so...yeah. Feels...nice.” He moved around in it, stretching his legs and doing a few jumping jacks. Rose nodded in satisfaction and began to make her leave, but Jace stopped her. 

“Oh! Can I give regards to, uh, Piper? He helped me pick my outfit”

“Piper?” She asked, “he doesn’t work weekdays, but...I guess I’ll make sure to tell him when he gets here.”

As he watched Rose leave, Jace tilted his head trying to process what she said. He’s not even on shift? That’s odd, considering he was there like thirty minutes ago choosing out some clothes. Maybe he read the nametag wrong? 

It probably doesn’t matter. Jace was never the best with names anyways, so he might’ve gotten the wrong name when looking at the nametag. 

They waited for Quinn to come back while Lancer was in the back carrying all of his shopping bags. The former looked at their stuff and nodded in satisfaction. “Looks good enough, I’ll pay and then we can get to the party.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Rambert Estate is a massive mansion in Upstate New York far away from anyone else. Nestled in a forest of trees and protected by tons of Bounded Fields, it lays on the perfect amount of ley lines to supply magical energy. Jace has never been there, mostly because Quinn never bothered. He hated his own family, but they can’t do anything as they already decided that he would be the next heir instead of his siblings due to his great magical circuits.

Jace checked the time, 3:45 PM, and sighed. He was relieved that they got there early, although the idea of having to meet Quinn’s parents made his chest constrict on itself. The Ramberts were powerful, especially here in the States, to where they possibly rivalled those of the Tohsakas in Japan. Not only that, but they were known to be fierce and highly formidable fighters in their own right, having swayed the tides of battles in many major wars in the past. He could never hope to be as strong as them.

Rider seemed to have noticed his distress, nudging him in his shoulder and giving a smile. “ _ We’ve got this. We’re gonna win this thing, remember?” _

For once, Jace appreciated being able to speak with someone telepathically. It never did quite work well with Quinn and his inner monologue. “ _ Yeah...yeah, we are. _ ”

They passed through three different gates, each guarded by a number of homunculi, people, and protected by barriers, before arriving at the estate. The car parked in the driveway right next to a large fountain before a few servants came in to open their doors. There were a number of other cars as well, perhaps filled with early guests or Masters like them.

To say that the estate was big is an understatement. The mansion was gigantic, probably tens of thousands of square feet that would soon be filled to the brim with some of the richest and most powerful people. Despite all that, it was the fourteen of them who would be the focus of this event. Fourteen made to kill each other for some stupid wish.

A wish that he wanted. Needed. 

“Welcome to the Rambert estate, home to the Ramberts, most powerful family blah blah blah blah blegh.” Quinn babbled and lazily gestured to the mansion behind him. “Masters, please stick with your Servants. You may  _ mingle  _ with the others once the opportunity presents itself. For now, just enjoy the place.”

“Oh, we’ll certainly mingle.” Someone dressed in some mix between a tuxedo and a dress danced by, holding the hand of someone that looked way too familiar. “Come, Caster. Let us make the most of this.”

Jace locked eyes with a man with chestnut hair cleanly slicked back, his eyes were a blood red that seemed to draw him in. This was the man from that store, still dressed in the same outfit as earlier. “Y-you’re….”

Caster put a finger to his lips and hushed Jace, giving him a wink and a smile. “It’s our little secret, handsome.”

“Did...he just call you….” Rider glared at Caster, keeping a tight grip on Jace’s arm up until the Servant and their Master went inside. When they did, he loosened slightly but still held on almost like he was trying to shield Jace from everyone else. Quinn seemed to notice this too, and they exchanged a few glances that told a million words.

_ “Oh, he’s totally crushing on you. _ ” Quinn smirked.

Jace rolled his eyes. “ _ He is totally not, he’s just...protective? Isn’t that what Servants do? Protect?” _

“ _ Mhm. Sure. You two go on first, maybe you’ll get a chance to make out _ .”

“I...guess he did? What, are you jealous or something?” Jace eyed Quinn for a moment as he pulled Achilles inside and into the massive foyer. The tiled floor was blindly shiny, illuminated by a few lights on the ground and a massive crystal chandelier hanging from the wooden ceiling that glowed with magical energy. It probably contained as much as multiple missile strikes. 

“No! ‘Course I’m not jealous!” He said in a totally jealous manner. “I-I just don’t like that guy. He’s too pretty for his own sake.”

Jace stared at the pair walking down the hallway. Caster seemed to notice as he looked back and winked again, causing Rider to give the Servant another set of glares that pierced the air. They laughed before going back to talking with their Master, occasionally stealing glances at the two of them. “He’s certainly pretty, isn’t he?” 

Rider groaned so loudly that it echoed off the polished wooden walls, scaring a few of the servants in the middle of their chores. He immediately covered his face as if to hide from his guilt and muttered, “please don’t tell me his charm is working. What if he kills you?”

For the sake of annoying him a bit longer, Jace decided to let go of Rider’s arm and ran up ahead to catch up with the two other Servants. It’s not everyday that someone gets the opportunity to meet famous people from history. “Hey! You two!”

Caster turned around and waved excitedly. “Hey there!”

“Ah, you are Rider’s Master, correct?” Their Master greeted Jace with a warm smile. They bowed before holding out their hand, exposing their Command Seals in the shape of butterflies. “My name is Ciel Dioland, heir to the Dioland family.”

He knew the Dioland family. Their reputation was just a bit below the Ramberts in terms of power and affluence, but they too have had a role in the American government for quite a long time. Jace shook Ciel’s hand and smiled back. “My name is Jace Alburn, heir to the Alburns. Oh, and is it ok if I may ask of your pronouns?”

He gestured to Ciel’s clothing which made them blush slightly. “I guess my attire does prompt such a question. I’m rather fluid in my gender, so I appreciate being called by any that you think suits best.”

“Very well, then. It’s nice to meet you, Ciel.” They smiled at each other, and they both simultaneously let out quiet yelps at Caster pulling them into a hug.

“Awe, look at us. We’re all friends already!” Caster giggled, “I like this one, Master.”

“I do too.” Ciel said, “I didn’t know that the Alburns were interested in pursuing the Holy Grail.”

Jace wiggled out of Caster’s embrace and retreated towards Rider’s quickly approaching figure a few meters away. “I-it’s a funny story, actually.”

He explained how he only came to help Quinn summon a Servant, but they were attacked by Archer and Jace, trying to defend his friend, ended up finishing the summoning by knocking over Rider’s Catalyst. 

Ciel and Caster both looked at Jace dumbfounded before breaking out into laughter. Jace blushed, clutching onto Rider’s arm and hiding behind him. 

“I like him more, Master! We should team up during this war.” Caster stared at Jace through the gap in Rider’s arms and shot him another wink. “He’s cute.”

“Caster, control yourself. Don’t make our new friend uncomfortable.” Ciel, despite being shorter than Caster, forcibly wrenched the Servant away and dragged him down the hall while they both waved goodbye. “We’ll see you at the party!”

Jace was about to continue walking when Rider stopped him, holding firmly onto his arm until the two rounded a corner. Perhaps, he could stop with the antics for now and let the two of them stick together. Ciel and Caster were nice, but they were still enemies even if he didn’t want such a thing to come around. 

“Don’t fall for their charms, Master. I don’t trust them.” Rider cautioned. He never called Jace “Master” which surprised him a little. Maybe he should’ve been a bit more considerate.

There really isn’t a lot that Rider knows about him. Jace rolled his eyes and nudged his Servant in the side. “I never fall for charms in the first place. I’m not attracted to anyone...at least not in a sexual manner. Caster would have to work much harder than that if he wanted to get to me.”

“W-what?”

“I mean….” Jace ruffled his hair and stuck his tongue out playfully. “I was just teasing you a bit, Achilles. Don’t worry, people have to try  _ much _ harder before any charms could work on me.”

Achilles turned away, hiding the hints of red spreading onto his cheeks, and linked arms with Jace. “W-whatever….”

They turned the corner, passing by a million and one random doors, before entering into a large ballroom. The marble floors were dotted with people, and the corners and walls had tables with a full-on feast laid out. Jace already knew where he wanted to go first—Achilles seemed to share the same idea as they both hurried to the food tables to snack on everything. 

Jace was about to reach for the cupcakes when another girl reached for them at the same time. He immediately retracted his hand apologizing profusely before realizing just who he was apologizing to. 

It was that Archer. It had to be. That blonde hair and her blue eyes along with the dress she wore. It was her.

She seemed to have recognized him as well as she shot daggers at him with her piercing eyes. “I remember you.”

Another woman barged in between them wearing a bright green suit and a black tie, her brown curls fell and gathered at her shoulders. She patted Archer’s head and said, “sorry if Archer’s causing you trouble, she’s a bit...uh, tense after last night.”

“Because you almost—”

She hushed her, making random noises everytime Archer tried to speak until they fell silent. Then, she held out her hand in greetings and showed Command Seals in the shape of leaves. “I’m Winona, and you must be the person I almost killed three days ago.”

“Y-yep! That’s me!” Jace nervously shook Winona’s hand and occasionally stole glances at Rider a few tables away who was observing everything while snacking on some crab cakes. “I’m Jace Alburn, Rider’s Master and—”

“Oh! I know you!” Winona squealed, jumping up and down attracting the attention of a few of the guests until Archer nudged for her to calm down. She coughed and waved at the people who were looking before saying, “you work at the Irving Medical Center, right? You were there for my son when they got sick just the other day.”

He thought back to all of the patients he’s seen and remembered back to yesterday when that kid with the two mothers came in. Alex was his first patient and his first instance of seeing the Bubonic Plague resurfacing. Hopefully, the hospital would call for an outbreak. “Y-yeah, Alex, right? I wish I could’ve checked in on him today, but I kinda had to buy my outfit today.”

“Dang...now I kinda feel bad for you.” She frowned, “Archer, make sure not to kill him. He’s working hard on helping my son.”

“Understood. Anything I attempt I will make sure is nonlethal.”

That seemed more like a threat than anything, but Jace decided to ignore it. He apologized again and made some random excuse to rendezvous with Rider who was squatting down in a corner picking at a bowl of mashed potatoes. 

“You look lonely.” Jace sat down next to him, cradling a plate of cupcakes, tater tots, and shrimp cocktail. Certainly, an odd combination fitting for an odd person like him. He poked Rider in the face, hoping that it would offset his heavy frowning. “I’m not attracted to Caster if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“You’re never going to let that go, huh?” Rider grumbled, shoving a spoonful of potatoes in his face. 

Jace ripped a tater tot in half and popped it in his mouth. It was seasoned with a mix of garlic salt and some paprika, a very beautiful combination that made him want more. “You certainly are a bit overprotective when it comes to him, which I guess I don’t mind. Quinn goes crazy every time I so much as look at a mildly attractive person, so this is a bit of an upgrade in my opinion.”

That seemed to have cheered him up as Rider chuckled slightly and they happily ate in silence, occasionally getting up to get seconds, thirds, fourths, and hundredths. 

While he was in the middle of digging into some pasta, Jace almost choked on his food as Quinn ran up to him and pulled him to his feet. “Wh-what’s happening?!”

“It’s not a fucking Rambert party if there isn’t dancing!” He placed his hands on Jace’s waist as music boomed from the ceiling. “Come on, I’ve made you do this with me enough that you should know the steps by now.”

Jace beamed, shaking with excitement at the crowd forming all around them. While it was terrifying, he’s heard all about the famous Rambert festivities from Quinn. All the dancing, the food, the performances. It was almost like a scene from a movie, and he got to live out that scene at this very moment. 

And just like that, they danced. Jace did the leading—partly because Quinn was too short—and together, it was like they were gliding across the dance floor. The whole thing wasn’t anything formal, Quinn would’ve told him if it was, so everyone was mostly doing their own random dances. Jace did his best to memorize the things he, albeit reluctantly, learned from his friend all while trying to keep a straight face. 

But it was when the songs changed that really made his heart race. Quinn always talked about how his parents were proficient dancers and loved all types of music, but their favorite were the Latin dances. Jace could recognize the instruments and the fast-paced rhythm. He’s been to too many outings at his uncles and aunts to not recognize this. 

“Here we go.” Quinn rolled his eyes, although he made no effort to hide his grin. They both enjoyed this. 

“Oh come on, this thing is in my blood! I can’t let the years of my aunts forcing me to dance go to waste.” 

Their hands intertwined, and Jace moved in perfect sync with Quinn. They jumped and twirled all around the room until they seemed to be the only ones dancing. Cheers erupted from the crowd, and the two smiled at each other knowing that they would go for one last extravagant flourish.

Mist gathered at Jace’s feet, summoning ice crystals that scattered all around them as they spun around each other. Then, as he threw Quinn into the air, a burst of light flashed around them as Jace caught his friend and the two posed in time with the song’s ending. 

Jace pulled Quinn to his feet and they bowed at the crowd’s booming applause. The song changed and with it, brought everyone back onto the floor. 

“Alright, you fucking weirdo, I’m gonna go find a dance partner who won’t make me nauseous.” Quinn jumped up and pecked him on the cheek before disappearing into the crowd. Jace had a feeling that he was already on his way to go seduce a random hot person that was there and try to hook up with them.

A woman in a flowing purple dress tapped Jace on the shoulder and, with a smile that almost made him blush, said, “mind if I have this dance?”

He hesitated for a moment but nodded and grabbed her hand. As Jace pulled the woman close, he began to panic at the sight of a peculiar set of Command Seals on the back of her hand. She stood eye level to him, so he was unable to avoid any form of eye contact as they danced to an ethereal yet slowly building waltz. 

“Y-you’re a Master.” He stammered. 

The woman smirked and spun him around, gazing at his own Command Seals as if they were expensive jewelry. “This just got a whole lot more interesting, hasn’t it?”

The rising crescendo made his heart race as they sped up, swiftly dodging the couples who were also dancing. Jace kept his face as cold and steady as possible. This Master was trying to intimidate him, or perhaps try to read into his mind. He stifled a yelp when he was forcefully dipped down—although a more fitting term would be dropped—and felt a sting from the knife pressing against his throat. 

“I could kill you right now and no one could notice a thing.” She whispered into his ear. 

Jace pressed his hand against the floor and spread ice underneath them. He tilted his head away from the blade and said, “and so could I. This ice could impale your chest in milliseconds.”

The two stared at each other for what might as well have been an eternity. Then, as the music changed, the woman pulled him to his feet and into a spin, letting go of his hand. Jace bumped into someone, and he turned to find Rider dancing with another woman. She was short yet muscular. Even in a dress, her muscles bulged out slightly with every twist and turn she made. Her hair was a stark white, tied into a ponytail. 

“Come, Berserker. I’d like to get more of that shrimp cocktail while I still can.” The Master called and that same woman pushed Rider away. Before the two of them left, she glanced behind her and smiled maliciously. “Be careful, Jace Alburn. There are enemies everywhere.”

“So that’s the Berserker class Servant….” He muttered. She didn’t seem as intimidating as he thought she’d be, although that in and of itself made it more terrifying. 

But he didn’t want to ruin the mood. Jace held out his hand towards his Servant and forced a smile. Rider chuckled and took it, pulling him close. The music had slowed down again, giving him a chance to breathe after all the dancing from earlier. 

“I didn’t know you could dance,” Jace remarked. 

“Right back at you.” Rider spun him around, kneeling slightly to pick Jace up and twirl him around. “My teacher taught me all sorts of stuff growing up. I just happened to remember some things.”

“Yeah, well, dancing is sort of a Rambert family thing. Being best friends with Quinn, I didn’t really have much of a choice with learning how to dance.” He searched the crowds of people for where Quinn could be. After a failed attempt, Jace shrugged and resigned to the fact that his friend was either drunk, making out with someone, or both. Rider’s dancing impressed him, although just the very ability to not have his foot get stepped on every five seconds was impressive enough. 

Soon, though, a distinct clinking noise echoed through the room. Jace looked up to see Quinn holding a champagne glass while Lancer stood silently beside him. “Welcome everyone to the Rambert estate. I hope that the food we prepared for you has been good, but that’s not what’s important. Today, I would like to introduce my father and mother, Freya and Zephyr Rambert!”

The crowd cheered and immediately fell silent as the most powerful couple in America walked in. Even all the way from here, Zephyr Rambert’s gaze pierced through Jace’s soul and he couldn’t help but hide a bit behind Rider to shield himself.

“Welcome to the Rambert estate. I’m sure you all came here to see who is participating in the Holy Grail War.” Freya Rambert’s voice was so cold yet quite charismatic that it even caught Jace’s interest. She grabbed a glass which chilled immediately under her fingertips and filled it with some champagne. When she raised her glass, everyone else followed her actions except a few people including him and Rider. He spotted Winona and Archer not raising any glasses either, instead opting to down their drinks in one massive gulp.

“We ask that anyone who is not one of the seven Masters and their Servants to leave as we would quite like to get a chance to meet them.” Zephyr raised his glass in time, his voice somehow being able to reach throughout the whole room. “Do not worry, for we have many television screens waiting for you to get a good look at our chosen seven.”

Slowly, but surely, the crowd had filtered out leaving Zephyr, Freya, a few butlers, and then fourteen people. The seven Masters and their Servants. He spotted Quinn, Ciel, and Winona along with that Master he had danced with earlier, but there were also a few others that he didn’t recognize. Jace could tell who were the Masters based off of the Command Seals on their hands. 

Somehow, he had caught the woman’s eye. She waved and tapped her Servant, Berserker, on the shoulder who turned to glare at them. A few seconds later, an overwhelming aura of bloodlust chilled him to the bone and it took all of his willpower not to fall to his knees. Jace looked away, hoping for some sort of distraction.

He spotted a man around his age, dressed in a black tuxedo and some dress pants. He ran his fingers through his light brown hair and locked eyes with Jace, his dark brown eyes were friendly. A bit too friendly. His Command Seals were shaped like a lion’s head. He stood next to a man wearing a similarly colored suit, their red eyes constantly searching the area as if looking for an escape point. 

Then there was a young teenage girl wrapped her arms around an older man’s elbow. Surprisingly enough, the girl was the Master with her Command Seals shaped like three glowing stars. She wore a simple green frilled dress similar to Archer’s along with some black slippers. The man, on the other hand, wore a grey suit and a red tie. He took off a cap and smoothed down his jet black hair before putting it back on. His nose twitched every second or so, making his moustache shudder.

These were their opponents. All of them cooped up into this single space.

The fourteen of them grouped up in the center of the room facing both Zephyr and Freya who appraised each of them like they were nothing but items on a shelf. 

“Interesting….” Freya muttered. “Welcome, Masters and heroes from the past.”

“We thank you for your participation in our Holy Grail War, and we trust that the next few weeks will be very exciting for all of us and those who are watching.” 

Something felt wrong. The others seemed to notice too, staring at the walls and then at the Ramberts. Even Quinn was confused, which surprised Jace.

Jace activated his Mystic Eye, filtering to show any temperature being radiated as a result of magical energy expenditure. He couldn’t spot anything inside the room, but he also realized that neither Freya nor Zephyr were emanating anything. No wounds, scars, nothing. They didn’t even have a heat signature, which was odd unless they happened to be concealing it somehow. But why would they?

Unless those aren’t Quinn’s parents.

“Now, as the overseers of the ritual, we also want to make sure that the Masters and their Servants can work well together.” Freya locked eyes with Jace as she explained. “So we decided to prepare something before your official celebration and start of the Holy Grail war.”

“Mom? Dad, what do you—”

“Quinn. I-I don’t think those are your parents.” Jace looked even harder at the two and realized there was a faint magical source coming from their chest. They were homunculi. “They’re—”

“Homunculi.” The teenage girl answered, “they were made to look like Quentin’s parents, but merely seem to be receiving orders from them.”

Freya clapped at a painstakingly slow pace and the walls rumbled at the same time. The walls grew and expanded to the point where it seemed like the room was neverending. They were in a Bounded Field, or maybe….something akin to a Reality Marble? No, that’s not possible. 

“Your task to celebrate becoming Masters is to work together and survive to hopefully find the key to escaping.” Zephyr’s voice slowly became more and more deformed along with his body. Freya was dissolving as well, and they both formed into a weird puddle of mush and magical energy. “That is, if you aren’t torn apart by the monsters.”

Almost on cue, multiple types of furred beasts came rushing through fog that had consumed the ballroom. Immediately, the Servants formed a circle around the Masters who had gathered at the center under the chandelier. 

“Quinn, did you really not know about this?!” Jace exclaimed, reaching into a hidden pocket in his suit and pulling out a dagger.

“My parents hate me, you think they tell me everything?” Quinn muttered an incantation before lightning coursed through his hands.

“Let Archer handle this!” Winona looked at Archer who nodded. She took a step forward, drawing her bow and nocking an arrow.

Archer didn’t even have to say anything for a wave of calmness to wash over Jace. It was only for a second, but it appeared to have more of an effect on the beasts as they stopped and became quite docile. 

The electricity faded from Quinn’s hands and they all let out a collective sigh. Jace looked around and couldn’t spot any other things coming from the mist so far, which is fortunate for them. Ciel loosened their grip on what looked to be a handful of jewels. 

“So...anyone wanna introduce themselves before we possibly die?” Quinn stared at everyone. “I’m sure you know me, so, uh, Jace! I elect you to be first.”

“This is why I’m making sure to kill you first.” Jace pinched his friend in the side before waving to the people he didn’t recognize. “I’m Jace Alburn, master of Rider.”

“Ciel Dioland. This is Caster.” They pointed at Caster, now dressed in a multicolored coat, who held a flute to his lips and played a soft melody. 

Winona pet Archer’s head and flashed everyone a cheerful grin. “Winona Skai. My girl here is Archer.”

“Silica.” The young girl squeaked so quietly that they almost didn’t hear. “Silica Yggdmillenia. I work with Assassin.”

Assassin waved a gun around in greeting, taking off his cap to give them all a very deep bow.

Next was the man with the lion’s head as Command Seals. He smiled and gestured to his Servant, “so...that’s Saber, and I’m Griffin Fogarty. I know we’re all enemies, but it’d be nice if we could get along at least a little bit.”

“Agreed.” Jace nodded his head, earning a few murmurs of agreement from the others as well. Then there was the last of them, the woman in the purple dress. 

“Mera Atropos.” Mera sighed, “be careful with what you say around Berserker, she’s volatile.”

“That’s what Berserkers are for, at least this one seems rational.” Caster remarked and played his flute a bit more cheerfully despite Berserker’s glares. The sounds of magic working its, well, magic caused them all to take on battle stances once more. 

Jace scanned through the fog trying to get a heat signature or a sign, but it was all too thick. He hissed and stopped sending magic to his eye. “We need to clear this fog, I can’t see a thing.”

Winona sneered and raised her hand. A green light spilled from her palm, conjuring a storm that nearly knocked Jace off his feet. A massive explosion of wind cleared a good chunk of fog from the room, exposing an army of homunculi—all of them carried a variety of weapons from guns to spears to swords. This felt cruel. Even if these aren’t actual humans, they still look like them.

“Are you all done making friends? Now, let’s see what you’re made of!” Zephyr’s voice echoed off the walls before gunfire erupted around them.

Quinn immediately threw a bottle of water into the air and yelled, “Jace!”

“On it!” He focused on the water inside and shaped it into a bubble of solid ice around both them, the Servants, and the dogs from earlier. Jace winced a bit at the pins and needles sensation spreading through his arms from the bullets, but it was manageable at least for a little while. 

“Jace, take down a portion of the barrier on my command.” Archer held up her right hand and slowly counted down The Servants all conjured their weapons as well as changed into their armor. 

“Now!” 

A hole in the ice blew open. Rider went first blocking most of the bullets with his armor while the dog beasts sprinted out with their jaws snapping. Some were shot down, but others managed to bite down on the homunculi’s necks, killing a few of them instantly. 

The other Servants left the barrier except for Caster who looked at them all with a pained expression and exclaimed, “you really expect me to fight them off? I have a goddamn flute and they have guns! What am I gonna do,  _ serenade _ them to death?”

“I mean...he does have a point.” Griffin added, “but Assassin is helping too, isn’t he?”

“Because Assassin has a gun and I have a flute.” Caster waved his flute around and poked at Griffin with its tip.

The roar of gunfire seemed to stop, instead replaced by crashes and the clanking of metal meeting metal. Jace let the barrier down and breathed a sigh of relief that there didn’t seem to be any other homunculi with guns. The other Servants and the surviving dogs were engaging with the others, and they were cutting through them all with ease. Saber wielded a stainless steel katana, weaving in and out of view before one of them would drop dead. Berserker swung her morning star, taking down groups of enemies in one blow. Assassin was surprisingly agile, using his gun with pinpoint accuracy and stabbing anyone who got too close with his knife.

“W-we need to help them!” 

“Jace, are you an idiot?” Silica looked at him in shock, “you’ll get killed!”

“We might get killed either way, and you don’t have to stop me!” Jace searched the room to see where Rider was—spotting him fighting side by side with Lancer—and focused energy into his heels to use as a burst of energy to propel him to his Servant’s side.

Rider caught Jace and spun him around before holding him close as he fended off the homunculi with his spear. “I was wondering when you were gonna get over here.”

“Sorry for the wait.” Jace tapped Rider on the shoulder, transferring some of his magical energy over. He hopped off and immediately blocked a spear’s strike with his dagger. With a precise jab, he stabbed the attacker right in the chest and felt something crumble beneath his hands knowing that he had pierced the magical core.

“I didn’t know your Master was so foolish.” Lancer quipped, striking a homunculus straight in the gut. “At least mine stays in the back.”

“Mine just happens to be brave enough to know when he’s winning.” Rider, with his enhanced strength, knocked over a wave of enemies with a single strike. He clenched his fist and smiled to himself before running off to take care of a few more before they got close. 

Rider glanced back at Jace, signalling to take care of a group that seemed to get past his sights on purpose. 

He was being tested again, which Jace didn’t mind. This is a fight for survival, and he had to be prepared to fight back. Gripping his dagger tight, he coated his right heel in frost and stomped down on the ground. Ice spread all around him and Lancer causing a few of the homunculi to stumble into big piles which the latter easily took care of. 

Jace slid over the ice, willing it to propel him forward towards a group of four homunculi, and he jumped over them using his blade to slit one of their necks. Before any of them could turn around to retaliate, he quickly stabbed them all in where their magical cores were located. 

“Watch out behind you!” Griffin appeared in his peripheral a few meters away before a rain of fireballs shot past him, barely singing the tips of his hair. The magus waved and the two of them cheerfully bumped fists. “Glad to know I’m not the only one who can pick a fight.”

“Quinn can fight too, he’s just lazy.” They both laughed before focusing again on the battle at hand. There was a group of ten homunculi rushing towards them, shouting a battle cry and clumsily waving their swords around. Jace reached into his coat and pulled out another dagger that Quinn had given him. “Need a weapon?”

Griffin took it with a smile and swung it around a few times. “You’ve got nice taste.”

“Quinn has nice taste.” Jace quickly strengthened Griffin’s body with a tap on his shoulder. He watched the mage run towards the homunculi and, in the blink of an eye, cut them all down. In his other hand was a sword that faded away seconds later. Projection magic. Definitely a rarity for most mages, at least when used to fight. 

“Too easy? I suppose we can ramp up the difficulty.” Freya’s voice echoed off the walls, and the floor rumbled as even more enemies came rushing from the fog. There were more homunculi, some deformed and some not, and large golems marched behind them shaking the ground with each step. Wolves darted in between them snapping their jaws at everyone. 

Arrows soared past Jace and Griffin hitting some of the wolves square in the head. Jace conjured a wall of ice to block the homunculi’s gunfire, shuddering with each bullet’s impact. 

“Rider!” His voice reached the Servant’s ears, and Rider had appeared before them in the blink of an eye. 

He placed his spear down and gently punched Jace on the shoulder. “Looks like you could use some help!”

Jace strengthened his Servant up with another burst of energy, feeling his own drain from his body. He let down the barrier of ice before placing himself in front of Griffin to protect him. Rider switched to his sword and plowed through the monsters in front of them. Not even the large golems stood a chance as they crumbled before his attacks. 

They took the opportunity to reunite with the main group where everyone but Rider and Berserker were. The Servants took up the main wall defending against the homunculi. Even Caster was helping, playing a melody that strengthened the other’s abilities. Archer grabbed them both by the hand and pulled them into the circle where the Masters were. 

“Oh look,” Mera sneered, “the idiots are back.”

“That was incredibly reckless, Jace!” Ciel tossed a handful of gemstones in the distance before explosions shook the room and consumed a group of golems. 

“W-well….” Jace blushed. He knew that he was putting himself in danger, sure, but he also knew that supporting Rider was a priority. They were partners together, and that meant that they fought together. Plus, he knew that his Servant would help if things get dicey. 

Quinn chuckled and gave him a side hug. “He just knows when he’s fighting a winning battle.”

“I’d say we’re winning, right?” Caster summoned a large tuba and bashed an attacker in their head with it. Surprisingly enough, he even managed to destroy one of the golems with it, albeit with a bit of help from Archer. In a break in combat, they all stared at him in both awe and confusion while he immediately dropped the tuba. “W-what? I can summon instruments, might as well use them.”

“And you said you couldn’t fight.” Griffin folded his arms and shook his head like he was disappointed.

A distant rumbling made them all stop. The Servants kept fighting, but their heads kept turning to look for a new opponent. Jace peered through the fog and noticed massive heat signatures slowly approaching from within. The others didn’t notice, and he kept slapping Quinn’s shoulder to get his attention. “G-guys….we have a problem!”

“What? What is it?” Silica squinted through the fog but frowned and shrugged in confusion. “I don’t see anything.”

“Mera, call back Berserker. We need to group up for this.” Jace put his hands together and shouted. “Rider! Come back!”

She seemed hesitant, but nodded and joined him in calling Berserker back. “Berserker!”

The two Servants plowed through enemies and arrived side by side. They locked eyes only for a moment, a mix of emotions running through their eyes, before going to their respective Masters. Rider noticed the fear in his Master and gripped his shoulders tightly. 

The feeling settled Jace’s beating heart at least for a second. He took a few deep breaths and pointed into the fog. “There are five massive heat signals coming from that direction. I-I don’t know what they are, but they’re almost as tall as the room itself.”

“He’s right.” Archer nocked a glowing dark arrow and shot it into the fog. A few seconds later, a burst of energy exposed the hulking silhouettes of giant creatures wielding massive swords. “Spriggans.”

“Spriggans? Like...giants?” Jace asked, “Q, how do your parents—“

“Remember when I said my parents hate me?!” Quinn snapped and rubbed at his temples. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a few large purple jewels. “I was planning on saving these too….”

Mera placed her hand over Quinn’s and shook her head. “No need! Berserker will take care of them.” 

“But—”

She silenced him, holding a finger to his mouth. Mera calmly walked over to Berserker and whispered something that no one else could hear. In an instant, that furious aura the Servant gave off got even stronger almost like she had changed into an entirely different person. The name she uttered gave her identity away, but the name she uttered filled Jace’s heart with dread. 

“ACHILLES!” Her cries divulged into unintelligible screeches of fury as she ripped through the enemies and disappeared into the fog. One by one, the heat signatures had faded followed by an earth-shattering tremble that made Jace stumble into Rider’s arms. They exchanged worried looks, and it was obvious who Berserker was.

Penthesilea. The Amazonian queen that Achilles had fought during the Trojan War, known for her unbridled hatred towards the hero because of his hesitance in fighting him. 

Suddenly, Mera had gotten even more terrifying, and she knew it as she smiled confidently at Penthesilea bursting out of the fog using one of the Spriggan’s swords to massacre all of the enemies. 

“That’s...kinda hot.” Griffin murmured, prompting Mera to jab him in the side.

“Please don’t fetishize my Servant, or else I’ll tell her that you look like Achilles.” Her response quickly shut him up and he nodded his head, disappearing behind Saber. 

Jace tried to contain his fears, but he kept grabbing Achilles by the wrist hoping that it could soften the beating of his heart. He had to stay calm, stay controlled, and not reveal Rider’s true identity, but it was too horrifying the way Penthesilea had changed so suddenly. That was the true nature of a Berserker. 

He yelped as Quinn took him by the hand, and they exchanged a conversation spoken only through looks.

_ “You’re lucky that you’re anxious all the time, or else everyone would tell that Rider is Achilles.” _

_ “What am I supposed to do? Just not be scared that Berserker is one of his major enemies? What’s next, Lancer happens to be Hektor of Troy?” _

_ “I’m not giving anything away, dumbass. Just take a deep breath, ok? Did you take your meds?” _

Jace shook his head. He swallowed his pills dry along with the lump forming in his throat before loosening his grip on Achilles. The others didn’t seem to be paying much attention to him, instead watching Berserker’s onslaught through their enemies. On the brightside, Penthesilea was still going strong in her rampage. On a darker note, more enemies were coming in the distance, their heat signatures were much more pronounced allowing him to spot them through the fog. “We need to find a way out of here. If we don’t, we have to hope we can exhaust their resources or else they’ll exhaust ours because there’s more of those Spriggans coming.”

“I know your family is powerful, but this is….” Ciel grimaced, “not even my family has these resources.”

Not many families have these abilities. Summoning all those golems and homunculi is one thing, but getting Spriggans? Only the Grail could give those types of resources. Jace scanned what visible parts of the room were exposed. No loose floor tiles or suspicious panels on the walls. He looked up and found nothing else. Nothing else but the chandelier, giving off a faint light that pulsed gently.

“T-the chandelier.”

“What about it?” Silica looked at it with a confused look.

“The chandelier, what if that’s the source of this place or at least these summonings?” Jace took a piece of marble flooring off the ground and tossed it up to the ceiling. Instead of hitting the chandelier, it bounced off some invisible wall that shuddered into existence before fading away. “That’s...totally not suspicious.”

“Caster?” Ciel turned to their Servant who nodded. He put his lips to his flute and began playing a melody. A few seconds later, a gust of wind propelled him upwards until he got close to the barrier. 

“Well, this seems like a hell of a—” Caster flew out of the way of an arrow as it bounced off the barrier and clattered to the ground a few meters away. “Y-yeah, I might need a bit of protection while I get through this thing!”

Jace strengthened Rider again and let him loose. Lancer and Saber ran in to assist him while Assassin stayed with them to shoot from a distance. Archer, however, was peering up at the chandelier. In her right hand, she twirled around a silver arrow.

“Master, permission to use one of my Noble Phantasms.” She asked.

Winona contemplated for a moment, folding her arms and humming quietly before saying, “permission granted, we need to get out of this thing.”

Archer already had a silver arrow nocked on her bowstring. She pulled the string back and, as the tip glowed bright, released it. It soared through the air, narrowly avoiding Caster, and somehow shattered the barrier into fragments of light that rained down on them. “Destroy it now!”

In that instance, a wave of enemies broke through the fog. Their sheer numbers obscured their views of the Servants fighting out, and Jace summoned another barrier of ice to shield from the gunfire that raged all around them. Somehow, a bullet managed to pierce through it and embedded itself in Silica’s shoulder. She screamed and fell to the floor, clutching the wound as a dark red liquid began to trickle out of her. Red light pulsed throughout her entire body in waves, blue clouded her face.

“Those bullets are enchanted!” Jace yelled and tried to cover up the holes with more ice, but the molecules in the air were getting thinner and thinner. He can’t keep this thing up forever. Silica’s cries had broken his concentration, and another stray bullet broke through. This time, Griffin was the target. He collapsed onto the ground with a hole in his chest. A ball of red light pulsed in his heart, but it was slowly geting darker and darker as blood spurted out of the wound.

“Jace, take care of them! I’ll handle the barrier.” Ciel threw down a handful of jewels that turned into large shields of light. They winced as bullets clattered against it, but they held firm for now.

Jace dropped to the ground and pulled them together so that they sat side by side. “You two are gonna be ok, alright?”

He took a deep breath, the roar of combat faded away as he rubbed at his palms. The key to healing is to be gentle, to coax the light away so that their pain stops. In his mind, Jace searched for the bullets before pulling them out with his magic. He would’ve preferred to use actual tools, but that was too long and they didn’t have the time. 

“Just wait a bit longer, ok? You two can handle this.” He cooed gently and water started to rise from his palms, falling through the gaps in his fingers and onto Silica’s shoulder. The water glowed the moment it came into contact with her skin. It pooled and absorbed into the wound before it seemed to form strings that pulled the hole closed. 

Her muscles relaxed a few seconds later, and she opened her eyes to touch at her shoulder. Silica breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed onto the ground. “That felt nice."

“Yeah, yeah, um...I’m in a lot of pain too, Doc.” Griffin poked Jace’s side and managed a smile. “A bit of help would be appreciated.”

Griffin’s wound was much worse. The bullet seemed to have fractured along the way into his heart, causing even more damage. This was going to have to take a bit more effort. The heart was the biggest concern as it had a sizable hole in it. Jace took a deep breath and let more water flow from his palms. He made it go towards the heart first, stitching the wound closed before travelling through his chest, healing and repairing any damage caused by the stray shrapnel. 

For the most part, it worked. The wounds would still hurt, and for that, Jace coated his hands in frost before placing them on their respective wounds. Ice froze over their skin, but it appears as if the red light started to fade away much to his relief. “There, the ice will help with the pain while my healing does its work to make sure you both fully recover. For the most part, you two are good to go.”

“That’s fine and dandy, but what about getting out of here?” Caster had somehow made it back into their bubble. He aggressively played the flute, wind rustling around Ciel which made their barrier glow a bit brighter. 

“I-I can do it.” Griffin stumbled to his feet, flames rising from his hands. The red light in his chest pulsed, but he didn’t seem to care. “Might need a little help though.”

Quinn took the opportunity to toss a handful of jewels at the chandelier. A few seconds later, they exploded into purple dust. “Now!”

Griffin raised his hand and shot a large ball of fire that exploded as it came into contact with the dust. Jewels and glass clattered to the ground. Mera picked one of them up and scanned them before smiling. “We got it.”

The ground rumbled in response and the clatter of gunfire stopped. Jace and Ciel let their barriers down so that they could see the sight before them. One by one, the homunculi and other creatures they fought faded into dust leaving behind a single gemstone. The other Servants ran back to them including Berserker who luckily seemed to be much calmer than moments earlier. 

The walls began to retract, almost like the room itself was alive. Jace held on tight to Rider and closed his eyes, waiting for something to happen. 

And he waited as the shaking grew even more intense and light filled his vision. 

The sound of applause made his head turn. Jace opened his eyes and saw that they were back in the ballroom. Towards the exit, the people who were attending the party erupted into a sea of cheers and cries. Zephyr and Freya—the real deals—stood in front of them with unfeeling gazes. Despite all they had gone through, they looked as if they weren’t impressed.

“Impressive. I hope that you all got to see the abilities that your rival Masters and Servants have.” Freya commended them with a cold glare. “The party will continue until morning. We have prepared a personal table for the Master and Servants so that they may rest and recover.”

Rest and recover was an understatement. The seven of them all collapsed onto their seats, their clothes torn and dirtied—even the Servants showed signs of exhaustion, especially Caster who whined, “can we not do that again?” 

The “personal table” was located at the front of the ballroom perched on top of a small raised platform. Their Servants had to get food for them because they were so tired. All the attendees stared at them like they were exotic creatures making Jace sink a little deeper into his chair. Suddenly, the food on his plate didn’t look as appetizing anymore.

He got out of his seat and crouched beside Silica and Griffin. The former was raining havoc on a piece of steak while Griffin picked at a plate of salad. “A-are you two ok? If it still hurts, I can use my magic again.”

“I-I’m fine...I already know I’m gonna be sore tomorrow anyways.” Silica rubbed at her shoulder, shadows of red and blue swarmed her for a second before fading away. “Nothing a nice bath could fix, right?”

He coated her shoulder in a thin layer of ice again. “Just make sure not to push yourself.” 

Griffin managed a smile, his red was much more noticeable than Silica’s even though he insisted that he was ok. “It’s nothing I can’t handle, Doc. Don’t push yourself.”

Jace didn’t believe it. His wound was much more traumatic, so the healing process took a little more time to do its work before he could be fully healed. He snatched a napkin from the table and wrote down the address to the hospital he worked at. “Come to the hospital I work at, and make sure to ask for me. I’m sure my supervisor will understand.”

Many hospitals employ mages in times where wounds and illnesses get too intense. Where modern medicine can’t go, magic can in some instances. The emergency department had Jace as their resident healer, so his supervisor would understand if he had a patient who needed some alternative treatment. 

The man laughed nervously, shredding a piece of lettuce with his fork. He shifted in his seat and stammered, “um, you see, it’s not that...you know, I want to avoid treatment. It’s just that—”

“He’s afraid of doctors.” Mera remarked. 

“I am not! I’m just….” Griffin jumped in his seat and immediately grabbed at his chest. The others all stared at him making him blush and mutter, “ok look...doctors are scary! W-with all their big needles and scalpels and stuff, and them just being way too close all the time.”

Jace and Quinn exchanged glances before breaking out into hysterical laughter. The latter banged at the table and fanned at his reddened face. “God, that’s the most hilarious thing I’ve heard all day! Jace? Scary? Have you seen him?”

“Says the one who calls bacteria samples his little babies?”

“Hey, that was a damn secret!” Quinn snapped—he flung a piece of shrimp in Jace’s direction although it ended up missing and hitting Silica in the face. 

Her eyes widened before she calmly wiped the shrimp off of her cheek. She gently placed her hands in her lap and muttered, “Assassin...I already know who I want to go for once we start fighting.”

Somehow, someway, the seven of them had forgotten that they were supposed to be fighting each other instead of fighting together. Their faces fell slightly, the bonds that they had formed during their fight for survival wavered only for a moment. Silica clutched the tablecloth and spoke up again, this time much quieter, “can...we agree not to kill each other?”

This time, no one agreed with her. Killing the Master was the best and most efficient way of winning the Holy Grail War. Even Jace couldn’t deny that.

“I’ll agree to it.” He spoke up even though the others didn’t. “It won’t sit right with me having to kill anyone.”

They exchanged a friendly smile with each other. A small glint of hope burned in Jace’s chest, clearing away some of his worries. Maybe things will turn out ok. He turned to Griffin and wrote down his address instead. “If you’re afraid of going to the hospital, then my house is always welcome.:

“And what if I try to kill you?”

Rider chuckled from across the table. He had kept his gaze on both Saber and Griffin the entire time, and he pointed a fork at Jace. “I’ll make sure that it doesn’t happen, then. And I’ll win.”

Griffin looked intensely at the piece of paper in his hands before pocketing it. Slowly, and shakily, he nodded his head and stumbled away to go get more food with Saber. And Jace felt his heart rise a little, maybe another ally gained and another worthless death avoided? He went back to his seat next to Rider and picked at his salmon thinking about the days to come.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jace and Achilles drove back home, the former staring out the window as the countryside turned back into the city. They had left early alongside Mera and Ciel, although those two had long since disappeared from their view.

“You shouldn’t be so trusting.” Achilles glanced at him. “It’ll get you killed.”

He tapped on the window a few times to try and form a thought but found himself too exhausted. “I don’t care if I get killed for this. I’m a doctor. First and foremost. Those two were my patients.”

“But—“

“I know we’re in the middle of a fight to the death. I-I know that!” Jace interrupted Achilles before he could get a word in, and guilt rose in his chest as he sagged into his seat. “Sorry. I just...there are some people that I wasn’t able to save in the past. And I don’t want to make that same mistake again if I can help it, even if it costs me my life.”

Growing up, Jace’s parents always told him the same things. There are some wounds that can’t be healed. Scars that won’t fade. Illnesses that can’t be cured. Even healers like the Alburns know that some things can’t be changed. Growing up, Jace always strived to prove his parents wrong. That wounds can be healed, that scars can disappear with time, and illnesses can be treated. 

When he got older, he realized that his parents were right. Some things can’t be healed and if they can, it was out of his reach. But he still tried, and he’ll continue to try until the day he himself can’t be healed anymore. 

“I remember before I learned about my Mystic Eye, I saw my grandmother one day and her lungs had this pitch black light on them.” Jace used some of his magic to fog up the window, and he drew random patterns on the glass. “I found out she had terminal lung cancer, and I tried to heal her every time I saw her. I used so much of my energy that I got a nosebleed and passed out.”

“Your Mystic Eyes, what can they do?” Achilles turned into a parking lot and gestured to a Starbucks that had opened up with the arrival of morning. Jace lazily waved his hand which was enough confirmation for the Servant to go into the drive-through. 

“Just get me some green tea. Cold.” Jace opened up the glove compartment and handed him his wallet before saying, “my Mystic Eyes are able to detect and see the general working of living things through light. It can show me the heat and energy that they give off, if they’re bleeding or infected, any mental distress, and even if they’re dying. Different colors mean different things. For example….”

Jace sneakily pointed at the woman in the drive-through window. Yellow swarmed her eyes, and a word popped into his head. “That girl’s nearsighted, but she wears contacts to hide them.”

“That’s how you spotted those Spriggans earlier?” Achilles paid and drove to the next window to wait. Jace sneaked a look at the long receipt and found a myriad of foods and drinks. Luckily, his tea was included there. 

“Yeah. It’s a bit harder when they’re not humans, but it still works fine for me.” He folded the receipt into a tiny square and shoved it into the glove compartment while they waited for their things. “Pitch black means bad stuff, it usually means that they’re dying and they can’t be healed. I never see it, at least not often anyways. When I do, I….”

Most of the time, it’s with the elderly. The colors that swarm their bodies turn darker and darker until their death, when they turn pitck black before fading away along with their life. He usually can still see hints of their previous colors, blues and reds and purples that still glittered amongst the darkness. Even in the ER, there was always a chance that they could be saved. 

Jace swirled his green tea around and took a sip. The sweet, earthy matcha was always his favorite and there was a light bitterness that helped to balance it out. It calmed his nerves and made his jaw relax as he sighed a breath of ice crystals that eventually dissipated once more. 

“I’m still just like my five-year-old self when it comes to those types of people, you know.” He hugged at his aching knees as if to hide the guilt and shame that has grown in his stomach for years. “When I see people with that light on them, I do everything and I try to heal them until I pass out in a puddle of my own blood. The light never faded or even changed colors, no matter how much I tried.”

He watched Achilles’ pensive gaze on him at every stop. The silence was overwhelming. Perhaps not uncomfortable, but it made him squirm in his seat. Even when he tried to look out the window, he could see their reflection in the glass just staring at him with a mix of emotions hidden in those golden eyes. 

They arrived at Jace’s house tired and worn out, or at least he was tired and worn out. Achilles opened the door for him to stumble to the couch and collapse. He looked down at his clothes that were a mess of rips and tears and burns, sighing to himself. “I just got these things too."

It didn’t matter in the long run since it would probably be a while till he’d wear it again, but it still held a bit of significance to him now. Maybe he could get a replacement if it didn’t cost thousands of dollars, and he made a mental note to ask Quinn to get another for him. 

Looking up, he noticed Achilles walking back to him holding a cup of what was probably coffee. Placing it down on the table, he kneeled down in front of Jace and sighed. Without a word, he wrapped his arms around his Master and nuzzled against his neck. 

Jace flinched but didn’t dare to resist out of fear that he might get hurt. As memories resurfaced and gave him visions of the past, he fought the instinctive urge to pull away.

“W-why are you….” 

“I learned that the name ‘Alburn’ is supposed to mean something like noble warrior.” Achilles said, “at first, I didn’t know why someone like you would have that name.”

That’s something that has always plagued Jace growing up. He’s not noble, and he’s far from some brave, shining warrior that strikes fear into enemies. He laughed coldly, “I think the same thing sometimes. I even got bullied growing up, so much for a noble warrior, huh?”

Much to his relief, Achilles pulled away and pinched at his cheeks. A worthy trade in his opinion. “Ah, come on. You’re much more noble than you think.”

“Noble? Me?” Jace shook his head in disbelief. “I’ve committed enough heinous acts to know I’ll never be noble.”

“And yet a guy like me became known as a hero.” He put a fist to his chest and, with almost a sad, reminiscent look in his eyes, said, “I abandoned my country until I lost the most important thing to me. I slaughtered thousands of people all because of my foolishness. If I’m noble, then you’re a saint.”

Jace sat up and shifted around to ease his aching body. “Because you had the gods on your side. What do I have?”

“Well, you have me as your partner.” Achilles chided, but his tone softened after that. “And you have kindness. To be kind in the face of danger is brave. And bravery is noble.” 

He paused for a moment before speaking barely above a whisper. “You’re more of a hero than I’ll ever be.”

“A-Achilles, I….” His voice trailed off and he watched Achilles disappear before getting a chance to say anything. Jace held out his hand, seeing the Command Seals that were supposed to be his sign of nobility. That he was someone deemed fit to fight in this pointless war. He’s not a hero, nor is he even close to noble. Not when he couldn’t even save the one person he loved above all else. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Servant: Archer  
> True Name ???  
> Master: Winona Skai  
> Parameters  
> Strength: C+   
> Endurance: C   
> Agility: B+   
> Mana: B   
> Luck: A   
> NP: EX   
> Class Skills:  
> Independent Action A  
> Presence Concealment B


	4. Saturday, June 20th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Today is Jace's day off. A day that he dreads with every fiber of his being.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo! Welcome to chapter 4! This one's a bit of a calm one, and we get to see Jace and Achilles interact in more domestic circumstances (although you'll see that a lot more often in later chapters anyways). I hope y'all are enjoying so far, and if you want a small intro to some of my oc's then I'm more than willing to share!

Jace’s eyes fluttered open only to be blinded by sunlight filtering through the curtains. Did he fall asleep? He looked down and found that he was laying on the couch. The exhaustion must’ve finally reached him, and he passed out before the nightmares could get to him. Even so, barely any of it was restful and he yawned loudly.

He checked his phone, 12 P.M, and felt panic rise in his chest. He’s late for work. Running down the hall and up the stairs, he took a quick shower and then hurriedly brushed his teeth before smoothing down his messy hair. 

And then he realized. 

He checked his phone again. It’s a Saturday. June 20th. His day off. 

Spitting the wad of toothpaste into the sink and gripping the cold marble until his knuckles turned white, Jace stared at himself in the mirror. At the mess that was Jace Alburn. He reached up and ran his fingers through his chocolate brown hair, his bangs tickled his forehead as he played with it to get it nice and neat. His skin was a bit paler than it used to be, taking on more of a honeyed beige thanks to never going outside compared to his usually darker copper complexion. His eyes flickered between blue and red, and he stopped the flow of magical energy so that it changed back to the former color. People always admired his eyes both for their color and their abilities. He never liked them, mostly because the sapphire blue was never as light as his friends. 

Jace flashed a crooked grin and traced his jawline down from his ears to the tiny scar on his chin that he got as a kid. He found that his abs, while faint, were still there despite him not working out as much as he used to. When he blinked, he ignored the masses of blue light covering his entire body and put on a shirt that was a size too big and some shorts to hide his guilt. 

He went down the stairs to hear the sound of rustling in the kitchen. There, Achilles was rummaging through all the cabinets and the fridge, taste testing everything and leaving anything from chip bags to jars open on the countertop. 

“R-Rider!” Jace managed to catch his Servant by surprise, gently touching a piece of exposed skin in the back of the shirt he wore. Was that always there? He laughed as Achilles whirled around with a can of whipped cream and a moustache of white lining his lips. “What...exactly are you doing?”

Achilles blushed and hid the can of whipped cream behind him. “I wanted some food.”

Some was a bit of an understatement. He probably tried everything that was edible in the house except the meat and veggies. Jace didn’t mind, Quinn always did the same, and the sight of Achilles with his mouth covered in whipped cream was a bit entertaining. Containing his laughter, he took a napkin and thoroughly wiped off all of the cream from the Servant’s mouth. 

“You could’ve just waited for me. I could cook something for you.” Jace folded up the napkin and threw it in the trash. He checked the fridge and the freezer making sure that some of the more expensive stuff was untouched and nodded seeing that Achilles hadn’t laid his cream-covered fingers on them. “It’s my day off, so I don’t have to go to work today.”

“Does that mean we can go out and fight today?” Achilles sat on the countertop and dipped his finger in a jar of Nutella, shoveling out a sizable dollop and swallowing the whole thing. 

Fighting. The reality of war set in once again and Jace realized that the very allies he had fought with last night have become his enemies. He sagged into one of the chairs lining the kitchen island and rested his head on the countertop. He can’t stop Achilles or the others from fighting, and he’d have to defend himself if he got attacked as well. “It depends on where they all are. We know where Quinn and Lancer are, obviously. But...then there’s the others. Berserker scares me the most because...you know.”

Achilles nodded thoughtfully, a grimace on his face as his vigor had slowly faded away. “There aren’t a lot of people that I wouldn’t want to fight again, and she’s one of them. But...she’s our enemy, so I’ll defeat her when I get the chance.”

“Who are those people?” Jace asked. He knew Achilles was the type to fight people for fun, even him if he wasn’t Achilles’ Master. Of course, there are always people that anyone would be hesitant to fight, like Quinn or Achilles for him, but he was a bit curious to see who earned that spot for his Servant. 

He set the jar of Nutella down and began walking laps around the kitchen, sticking his tongue out almost in concentration or thought. Achilles stopped and leaned against the counter next to Jace with a pensive gaze. “Well, there’s Penthesilea. Then there’s Hektor, and my teacher Chiron. They’re all terrifying to fight against. Just the thought gives me chills.”

Achilles shivered before continuing, “I’d rather not fight people I care about either. In another Holy Grail War, I had to kill one of my close allies. But that’s our nature as Servants, sometimes we don’t get a choice in who we have to fight.”

Such is the nature of war for people like them. Jace tapped on the marble top as he thought about Achilles’ words, and he felt as if the Servant was holding something back from him. He didn’t know what to say, so he decided to ask, “would you still want to fight me?”

He looked at Jace for a moment before a smile crept onto his face. Achilles leaned over and playfully ruffled his hair. “You’ve really made me soft, huh? If I could help it, I don’t think I could bring myself to face you.”

At the very least, that brought him a bit of comfort. Hopefully, there’d never be a point where they’d ever have to fight each other. Jace probably wouldn’t be able to bring himself to even raise his weapon at Achilles, not after what they’ve gone through the past few days. “You think you’d ever be able to fight Patroclus? You two were...best friends, right?”

Achilles blushed and he rolled his eyes. “He’s my...well, I’m sure you know how I feel about him, but such is the nature of Servants. If we’re enemies, then I’ll kill him. Hopefully, he forgives me.”

So they were lovers, then. It should’ve been more obvious considering his interest in the book Jace was reading a few days ago, but he wanted to be certain about it before assuming. 

Patroclus. That Lancer...as he thought about it more, Quinn must’ve used the same Catalyst to summon his Servant considering the amount of time in between Achilles’ summoning and Lancer’s. His whole tale involved taking his lover’s armor and masquerading as him.

Could Lancer be Patroclus? If there’s another possibility, then it could also be Hektor or maybe one of Achilles’ allies in the Trojan War? 

He didn’t want to assume so early on in this war. Jace decided to distract his anxious thoughts of fighting with food as he stood up to go prepare some breakfast for the two of them. “I’ll prepare some breakfast...and I’ll clean up the mess you made, so just take it easy until then.”

Achilles disappeared in a flash of light and reappeared on the couch quietly reading the Song of Achilles. Jace couldn’t help but steal glances at his Servant as he gathered up all the ingredients. His mind was clouded by the possibilities of a pair of tragic lovers having to fight each other to the death. It was only made worse that he and Quinn had them as Servants. Two best friends, forced to kill each other as well. 

After taking account of all the things in the kitchen, he decided that using up some of the stuff Achilles had already eaten would be best. He took a bag of tortilla chips and threw them in some oil in a skillet. During that, he took a small pot and began cooking some oatmeal for himself. He wanted to impress Achilles with his cooking, so something a bit too simplistic like bacon and eggs just wouldn’t do. 

Once they got a bit crispy, he drained the skillet of the oil and cracked a few eggs. Just enough that they covered and coated the tortillas. The oatmeal seemed to be good, so he mixed in a bit of cinnamon and vanilla extract as he wanted something slightly sweet to start off the day. 

The eggs started to cook up, so he opened a can of crushed tomatoes and added them into the skillet. Taking a spoon, he mashed it up so that the eggs and tortillas were cooking in a bit of a sauce or stew. He quickly diced up some onions, jalapenos, and cilantro before mixing them in as well. He also added some chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Along with salt and pepper, of course. It would take a few minutes to simmer as he turned the heat down to let it cook.

Achilles had taken interest in the food as Jace turned to get some cheese and found himself starting straight into the hero’s drooling face. He yelped and clung to the refrigerator door to steady himself and his beating heart. “D-don’t scare me like that!”

Jace hid his embarrassment behind a bag of cheddar cheese and pushed Achilles away while he went back to the stove to take the oatmeal off the heat. It smelled amazing, happy memories from his childhood came rising from the depths as he poured it into two bowls. One for the both of them.

“Just be a little more patient, ok?” Jace set out the bowls of oatmeal on the counter and placed his hand on Achilles’ head with a smile. He took another pan and dropped some tortillas to toast—then, he added a bit of cheese to both the slowly cooking chilaquiles and the tortillas. 

“Come on, it smells good!” Achilles whined, sprawling over the counter and giving Jace the biggest pair of puppy dog eyes. 

“Patient. I know a fleetfooted hero like you always goes through life quickly, but…” Jace paused, “sometimes it doesn’t hurt to take things slow, right?”

He reluctantly waited, staring intently at the chilaquiles as the cheese formed a liquid blanket over the beautiful goodness underneath. Jace was almost tempted to make some for himself, but he didn’t want to take any more stuff from Achilles. The oatmeal and quesadillas would have to do. 

Soon, breakfast was ready. They didn’t have much of a dining room as the marble island generally was where they’d eat meals. Achilles took the skillet straight off the stove and looked in awe at the meal before him. Jace sat next to the Servant and patiently waited for them to taste his food. 

Achilles took a spoonful out of it. That ecstatic glow that always encompassed his eyes had come back again, and Jace’s heart felt a little lighter. 

“So...you like it?” He asked. “I admit, I’m a bit rusty, but I hope it’s to your liking.”

“Rusty?” Achilles looked at him like he was a maniac. He took another bite of food and spoke with a mouthful of food. “This is amazing! Where did you learn to cook?”

“Well, my parents might’ve been hard on me growing up, but they always showed that they cared through cooking.” Jace tore into the gooey mess that was his quesadilla and took a small bite. The cheese was warm and delicious but not too powerful in terms of flavor. He didn’t want something heavy after eating so much at the banquet last night. “I learned to cook from them. I also worked at a cafe to help pay for textbooks during college, so I picked up a bit of stuff there as well.”

Chilaquiles was a comfort food for him. His father always made it for him before long car rides and longer training sessions, an homage to his Texan roots. It served as a reminder that no matter how much they focused on training him into the perfect soldier and mage, he was still their son. Jace smiled to himself and ate a spoonful of oatmeal, the sweet and spicy taste of cinnamon mixed with vanilla warmed his frozen heart. It reminded him of a winter’s morning when the snow started to fall. His mother would take him out to the backyard where he'd play in the snow before eating a bowl of hot oatmeal to defrost after training in the cold for hours. 

He was glad that Achilles enjoyed a small bit of his memories. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jace realized just how much he hated having a day off. Being at the hospital was one of the few distractions from his mind. Grabbing the pills from his torn suit, he swallowed his daily dose with a large gulp of water and hoped that it would bury those things back where they should be. His eyes gazed blankly at the tv, but he didn’t even register the words showing up on the screen.

“Why do you take those things?” Achilles popped into the side of his vision. He grabbed the pills and shook them around, eyes squinting as he read the label out loud. “Fluoxe...tine?”

“Can...you not touch those?” He asked.

Achilles set the bottle down and placed his hand on Jace’s head. “Sorry, just bored, is all.”

“N-no, I’m sorry. I’m keeping you all cooped up here.” He placed his hand over Achilles’, letting out a quiet sigh before rolling off the sofa and onto the floor. Jace pushed himself onto his feet. “Is there anything you want to do? We can go to Central Park, it’s one of the things that the city’s known for. You’ll get to move around as well.”

That seemed to have piqued his interest, so Jace went to get his car keys from the countertop. Achilles stood by the door almost like a dog impatiently waiting for his owner to take them on a walk. 

“I-I just took my medication, so it might be better to let you drive this time.” Jace handed Achilles the keys and opened the door, ignoring their curious and concerned looks to hop into the passenger’s seat in the car. 

Jace had never been to Central Park. All he knows is that it’s supposed to be big and, well, a park. Quinn thinks that they’re too cool for that stuff, and he doesn’t like going out much other than for work. 

At the very least, Achilles was enjoying driving around. It reminded him of Quinn slightly, although the former was somehow much better at driving. While Jace didn’t feel all too well, he was glad that Rider was having fun. 

But he could tell that Achilles was still curious about his medication. Every now and then, he’d take a break from staring out the window to catch the Servant staring at him before looking away. It was a bit embarrassing, but he couldn’t blame him exactly. Memories were such a fragile thing that, whether he wanted to or not, secrets had to be kept for the sake of his sanity. 

He’ll tell him. Later. Hopefully, anyways. No secrets should be kept.

Central Park, much to its reputation, was a huge sprawling area of many different things from parks to lakes to forests. It was a small piece of nature sandwiched in the Metropolitan jungle that was New York City. After seeing towering skyscrapers and sharp buildings, it was nice to see all the different colors spread through the park. 

He wished that he had a camera to take all of this in. Jace sighed and got out of the car. “So, where do you wanna go fir—”

Before he knew it, Achilles had grabbed him by the hand and pulled him into the midst of a large field of grass dotted with people or dogs running around. It took all of Jace’s strength just to stay on his feet as he yelled, “hey! S-slow down, you know I can’t keep up with you!”

“You’re no fun!” He retorted, taking only a second to stop and give Jace a chance to breathe. “If you’re gonna be my Master, you’re gonna have to be able to keep up.”

“Y-yeah, and if  _ you’re _ gonna be my Servant, you’ll have to learn to take things slow sometimes….” Jace wheezed and clutched at his chest until the pain started to fade. He looked around the field of green before him, smiling as the wind blew through his clothes. It was a hot day, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle. Being here in a place as beautiful as Central Park only made it more bearable. “Sometimes you’ll miss out on moments like this if you’re always running.”

Achilles stopped and squinted around them. It only took a second before he began to walk away. “Yeah, this is boring.”

Jace chuckled and held on to Achilles by the arm in order to keep up. Stopping a man like him was close to impossible, it seems. They slowed down this time, luckily, and the different views of the park passed by. From trees and parks to the massive reservoir with ducks and birds and...he missed home. 

His steps grew heavier as he slowly dragged Achilles to a stop. The Servant turned around and opened his mouth to say something, but it seems the frown on Jace’s face made them stop. 

“You want to know why I take medication, right?” Jace asked and tugged on Achilles’ hand. He gestured towards a bench overlooking the massive reservoir and led him there, where they sat down watching a group of ducks paddle across the water. “You should know more about me, that’s my job as a Master.”

Plus, getting it out would be the best in the long run. If he kept all of this down for long, he’d probably break one day. 

Jace held the bottle of pills to the sunlight before handing it to Achilles. “Have you ever heard of post traumatic stress disorder?”

Seeing him shake his head and roll the bottle in his hands, Jace explained as best as he possibly could. “It’s a mental disorder, usually happens after someone experiences trauma. It can make you hypersensitive to things that trigger memories or emotions from that event, make you have traumatic flashbacks and dreams, and a bunch of other stuff. The point is...I was diagnosed with PTSD five or six years ago, after I got back from deployment in the military.”

“So...you take the medicine to help with them?” Achilles gripped the bottle tight, his face a storm of emotions as he placed it in Jace’s pocket. “It’s like an illness, right? Just in your head?”

He smiled and nodded. “I-I’m glad you understand it, even if it’s only a little bit.”

“That’s my job as a Servant, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I guess that’s true.” Jace smiled to himself. Servants and Masters should understand one another. Perhaps, he had found another person to confide in who would understand his thoughts and feelings. “The Prozac helps with my depressive symptoms so that I can get through the day without feeling the weight of all my memories on myself. But...it doesn’t do much to stop the flashbacks and the dreams.  _ Especially  _ the dreams. I-it always made them worse.”

That was always the thing with his medication. It could never completely stop everything, only a few but one always lingered behind like a pest. 

“That’s why you don’t sleep, right?” Achilles had moved a bit closer to Jace, the man’s eyes carefully watched him as if looking for a reaction. 

Jace slowly nodded his head. Sleep was a rarity for him because the nightmares always woke him up the moment he closed his eyes. The shock almost always kept him awake no matter how exhausted he felt. “That’s why I use my healing. Mentally, I’m exhausted. Physically, I’m perfectly fine.”

But today was different. Somehow, he had fallen into a peacefully uninterrupted slumber after the party. Maybe he was just that exhausted, to the point where his brain didn’t have the energy to even dream. 

“My depression and anxiety were...manageable with medication. There are still times when I’ll have these intense periods where even medication won’t work.” He continued before the lump in his throat would overwhelm him. “My PTSD is hard to deal with just because I have so many things that can trigger it. Funny, isn’t it? I fight all the time, and yet the one thing that pulls me down is….”

A dog ran by. A golden retriever had a huge smile on their face as they ran circles around their owner. Together, they ran the pathway and their figures grew smaller and smaller in the distance. 

Here’s the hard part now. Jace clutched at his chest and forced healing energy into his muscles, coaxing them to relax so that he could breathe normally. He waited for his heart to slow and his lungs to expand before speaking in a voice barely audible even to himself. “After Alec’s death, everything got worse. I was so depressed that I couldn’t feel anything, and yet every time I opened my eyes, I started to cry. Sleep wasn’t even a blessing because all I saw was his face.”

Jace paused, taking too much time in swallowing his saliva. He could feel his throat constricting on itself, his healing being the only thing allowing him to breathe. “My friends decided it’s best I not stay in Portland since everything just triggered me. Quinn took me here a year ago, and I’ve been drifting through life ever since.”

Drifting is an understatement. He barely even goes out other than for work or when Quinn drags him out against his will. Despite having lived in this city for a year, he barely even knows anything about it. 

He moved away and looked towards Achilles. The Servant opened his mouth and closed it, trying to form words but only managing unintelligible sounds that made Jace chuckle. He forced a smile. “You don’t have to say anything, and I don’t expect you to. Sorry for rambling on for so long. I wonder if there’s any food around here. Do you wanna go?”

Now he was the one doing all the walking. Jace pulled Achilles along as they explored the park in silence until happening upon a hotdog stand. He got a few hotdogs and gave half of them to his Servant before taking the others for himself. They sat down again on a path of grass where a few others were picnicking as well. It certainly was a nice day to go on a picnic. 

“Are you ok?” Jace had noticed that Achilles hadn’t even touched his hotdogs yet. He crawled until they sat in front of each other where he stared into the Servant’s golden eyes. A mass of blue was growing behind them, and he suddenly felt guilty for putting all of this in such a short time. “I-I’m sorry for worrying you, if I did. I’m ok, better than I was in the past.”

Achilles looked down, staring at Jace’s hands, before taking them and squeezing it tight. He smiled, although his eyes didn’t have that glint in the pupils as they do whenever he was happy. All he said were three words before letting go and eating his hotdogs. 

“I understand now.”

“Understand what?” Jace asked. 

The Servant waved it away and wolfed down the hotdogs in a matter of seconds. He hopped onto his feet and stretched for a bit before saying, “let’s go home. I wanna borrow that computer of yours, if that’s fine.”

It was certainly an odd request, but it’s nothing that he couldn’t do. Jace reached up, staring at the Command Seals on his hand, before Achilles walked over and pulled him to his feet. He watched Rider crouch down and stare back at him, the glint in his eyes had returned somehow. 

Jace held back his laughter. “W-what are you doing?”

“It’s faster this way, isn’t it?” Achilles stuck his tongue out. Jace rolled his eyes before getting on and tightly wrapping his arms around the Servant. He had to admit that this would be faster. 

Stifling a yelp, he held on tight as Achilles stood up and did a few jumps before sprinting back through the park to the car. The warm breeze rippled through his hair and his clothes, and the adrenaline coursing through his veins made him forget all about the memories that have gotten so close to hurting him once more. 

Achilles took a small detour into a scenic walkway commonly used by runners and tourists. Trees shaded the sidewalk, flickers of sunlight dotting the pavement through gaps in the leaves as they explored the winding walkway. It reminded Jace of home. 

“I hope you don’t mind if we take the long way back.” Achilles remarked. “I wanna get a good look at this place before we go back home.”

“Well, we can always come back here if you ever want to.” Jace rested his head on Achilles’ shoulder and hummed a quiet melody. “This place is nice, I think there’s a zoo here too.”

“A zoo, huh? They’re places where you keep animals, right?” Achilles cringed at the idea and sighed. “You humans are an odd bunch, you know that?”

He laughed and poked Achilles in the cheek. “Yeah, well, you were human once too. I bet you did a lot of odd stuff as well.”

“You’ll never learn any of my secrets.” He retorted back, and they laughed together before continuing on their way. 

They made it back to the car and went back home feeling a bit satisfied. The weight on Jace’s shoulders had lightened just a tiny bit, but even a miniscule amount is like a miracle to him. Maybe Achilles was much more special than he let on. 

When they arrived back at the house, he saw a familiar man sitting on the steps to the door slumped over a phone. It was Griffin, although Saber was nowhere to be seen. It’s likely that he was hidden somewhere. The man perked at the sight of Jace stepping out of the car and ran towards him, wincing and grabbing at his chest the moment he stood up.

The red that covered his chest had darkened and spread slightly to a worrying degree. Did he miss a piece of shrapnel in the heat of the fight yesterday? Either way, Griffin had come to him for help and it was his job to do just that. 

“Hey, Doc! I took your advice and came here. A bit of a drive though.” They shook hands and smiled at each other. Griffin glanced behind Jace’s shoulder and Achilles who stood threateningly, his hands balled up into fists. “Um...yeah, truce for now?”

“As long as you don’t break it.” Jace playfully punched Griffin in the shoulder. He unlocked the door to his house and let the man in while Achilles slowly followed behind constantly observing the Master with extreme focus. 

Griffin sat down on the couch and looked around with a smile. “This place is nice, better than anything a broke college student like me could do.”

“You’re in college?” Jace kneeled down in front of Griffin and poured a bit more magical energy into his Mystic Eyes. By doing so, he could see the human body in much more detail in order to see how exactly the light was in his body. It was a bit like his own personal scan. As he looked at it more, he noticed a small obstruction in the man’s chest that had burrowed a small tunnel and moved dangerously close to his heart. It would be difficult to remove, but he wasn’t an Alburn for nothing. 

“Did...your eyes just change color?” Griffin pointed at his eyes and recoiled at the same time that a flash of red surged through his body.

“Colored contacts.” 

Griffin narrowed his eyes and sighed, “damn, you Mages and your secrets.”

“Alright, I’m gonna need you to remove your shirt. There’s a piece of the bullet that stuck around and has been cutting through you even more as you moved.” Jace traced the line on Griffin’s chest, the latter’s face contorting in pain as his finger eventually poked the area where the metal was. “I can remove it without the need for any surgery or anesthesia. I can make it painless anyways.”

Griffin nodded and slowly removed his shirt, exposing a highly muscular body with perfectly defined abs that made Jace a little envious. The former coughed and tried to flex as if to distract from the pink color spreading to his cheeks. “So? Like what you see?”

Jace found it a bit comedic to see people’s attempts to flirt with him. He placed his hand on Griffin’s chest, a green glow emanating on his skin and dulling any pain receptors for as long as he needed. “You’re gonna have to try a bit harder than that to get me interested."

"Dang." He feigned a frown before laughing. "Ah, well, I'll make sure to keep that in mind, then."

“Let’s get back to the work at hand.” Jace pinched Griffin’s skin, continuing on as he noticed no reaction in both light and body. He tried to think of the best way to go about this in magical terms. “Rider, fetch me a glass of water, will you?”

Rider placed the glass of water on the table, and Jace dipped his finger inside. The water slowly took on a blue glow before wrapping around his hand like a glove.

Jace took a deep breath, the water ebbing and flowing in time, and pressed against Griffin’s chest. The liquid seeped into the man’s skin, moving towards the scrap of metal trapped inside. 

“Ok...is it just me, or does that feel kinda good?” Griffin balled up his shirt as the water traveled through the damage that the metal had made, leaving no trace of injury behind it. 

With a bit of focus, he made the water molecules vibrate and heat up until the metal broke into small enough pieces to not cause damage again. Jace pulled his hand back, retracting the water out of Griffin’s chest and into the glass on the table. He checked with his Mystic Eyes again, seeing no trace of injury nor flashes of light that weren’t already there.

“There, all done.” Jace stood up and handed Rider the glass. “Dump that in the sink, you do not want to drink from that.” 

Griffin stretched and twisted around, smiling as he clutched his chest. “Wow, no wonder the Alburns are known as healers. I bet you guys could heal anything.”

“It’s my pleasure. I know we’re supposed to be enemies, but I’m a doctor first.” Jace stood up and folded his arms, satisfied with his handiwork. He had to admit that he was slightly rusty, but the craft has and always will be engraved in his memory. Healing has become second nature. “If you’d like, you can stay for a little while. I can make some lunch for you and Saber if he’s here.”

“T-that’s ok, I actually have some plans later on. There’s...someone I need to visit at the hospital. One of my roommates.” Griffin went for the door and was about to reach for the handle when he stopped and turned. “You shouldn’t be so trusting, Jace. I may not kill you right now if I can help it, but the others might not be afraid to. Plus...we agreed on a truce. You helped me, and I decided not to fight.”

“I don’t plan on changing my ways anytime soon. We may have just met, but I hope you know that.”

The man smiled before leaving. Jace peered through the window—he saw Saber appear out of nowhere and escort Griffin into a car where they drove off. He turned around and noticed that Achilles had disappeared, likely off to go on his computer or do whatever. On days like this, he didn’t quite know what to do now that everything was done. 

He checked the time. Saturday, June 20th. 3:00 P.M. 

The day was still young. Incredibly long and young. Jace relaxed on the couch and counted the minutes as they passed by, the tv droning out any sort of thought that he could muster. 

Griffin was right. No matter how much he tried to deny it, Griffin was right. This was a Holy Grail War. Whether they were allies or not, the seven Masters are made to fight each other in order to attain the Grail. If he decides not to fight, that’s essentially putting himself at a disadvantage. 

Jace went up the stairs and to his room. Achilles wasn’t there, and neither was his laptop. It doesn’t matter. He should at least do something as a Master. If anything, he could at least find some information on the Masters and their Servants. 

He took out a notebook and a pen, writing down the names of the Masters and who their Servants were on six different pages. Winona Skai, Ciel Dioland, Quinn Rambert, Mera Atropos, Silica Yggdmillenia, Griffin Fogarty. Out of the six, only Silica and Mera haven’t shown any of their abilities. 

Winona seemed to use wind magic. Ciel and Quinn both used jewels to fight. Griffin used fire and projection. Silica didn’t seem to fight, instead letting the others take care of everything. Obviously, they would have other tricks up their sleeve. That is the nature of mages, whether someone like Griffin or as famous as Quinn. 

Next were the Servants. He couldn’t pinpoint their names, but he could write down anything that might identify their origins. Knocking down Penthesilea, that left five more he didn’t know. Lancer was someone who was likely related to Achilles, perhaps someone like Hektor or Patroclus. Saber was likely Japanese based on the katana he used. Assassin is either European or American, although he spoke without much of a noticeable accent. Caster was harder to determine. He didn’t use any particular instrument and could apparently summon any kind. Perhaps American? That weird attire was something to take note of though. 

He squinted at the six pages of information, with the Masters on one side and the Servants on the other. There really wasn’t a lot of information other than with Quinn considering he was his best friend. Penthesilea also had a few scribbles considering he knew a little more about her, but it would take time before he could contact his friends again. 

Just looking at this gave him a headache. He’ll look at this again once his contacts from the Association can help him find information about the Masters. Jace stood up from his desk and turned to get some water only to bump into Achilles. “Ah! U-uh, hey!”

“What are you doing?” The Servant took the pieces of paper and examined them before chuckling. “You know, I’m not much for strategy, but I guess a plan doesn’t hurt.”

“I-I know. Griffin and Quinn are right, I need to accept that I’ll have to fight eventually.” Jace noticed that Achilles was cradling the laptop in one arm and the notes in the other. He took the notes and laid them out on the table for the both of them to look at or add. “I have contacts in the Mage’s Association who could help me find out who the Masters are, but the problem of course comes with the Servants. Determining who they are will help us locate possible weaknesses to exploit.”

“I know how to fight Berserker, you can leave that to me.” Achilles grabbed a pencil and wrote down a few notes on Penthesilea’s page, sticking his tongue out in concentration as he wrote in a surprisingly neat font. “I know she recognizes me. We locked eyes before she died...before I killed her.”

“If that’s true, I don’t know how you two fought together without her going crazy.” 

Achilles shrugged before placing the pencil down. That seemed to be all he knew about, including Penthesilea’s Noble Phantasm. Outrage Amazon. The form where she goes berserk against anyone or anything that may remind her of Achilles or any male from Greek mythology. 

Next came an exact strategy. Achilles was skilled in almost any matter of fighting from groups to duels, although he guessed that the latter was more developed and preferable. “So, these...Noble Phantasms. How many do you have?”

The Servant puffed out his chest, snatching the pencil again to draw some quite rudimentary sketches of his Noble Phantasms. “I’ve got my chariot, my sword and spear, my armor, my shield, my speed, and my immortality. ‘Course, my weapons are a bit weakened since I’m not a Saber or Lancer. That and….”

“And?” He asked. There was another? That was seven entire Noble Phantasms, which must explain why he drained a lot of magical energy, and yet there was...an eighth?

Achilles sighed and shook his head, a wistful look in his eyes as he set the pencil down once more. “Doesn’t matter. This is all you need to know.”

Although he wanted to inquire, he also doubted that Achilles would tell him anything at this point. Jace gathered all the papers and put them into one of the file holders. Tracing a symbol, he put a magical lock on the holder so that it would keep the information safe if anyone happens to attempt to look at or take it. “I suppose this is the best we can do right now. We don’t know if the five Servants other than Berserker have any Divinity allowing them to hurt you. Locating the five Masters is another thing as well so we can keep track of them.”

Jace opened the computer and searched up a map of the city, pinning a few skyscrapers and buildings all around the metropolitan area. “These should be our best vantage points for pinpointing notable locations such as mana usage especially with Caster. I can skim through news sources for any mysterious killings too, I have a feeling Assassin could cause a lot of problems for us.”

He felt a tap on his shoulder as Achilles pulled up a chair and sat down next to him. The Servant stared at him with a mischievous smirk that made Jace blush. “W-what? Is something wrong?”

“You look entirely different now, it’s kinda scary. Well, not really.” Achilles pointed at him with a pencil spinning between his fingers. “I kinda wanna see what you’re like when you fight like this.”

Different. Jace stared at his hands, flickers of red painted his palms like blood before disappearing in the blink of an eye. He gripped the table to ease their shaking and took a few deep breaths hoping that his memories prodding the surface will sink back down. “U-um...yeah, I have a lot of experience with this stuff. I guess I got caught in the moment.”

He’s different now. He’s not a monster. Not anymore. 

“It’s better if...we should go at night so that...that we’re less likely to be spotted.” He stammered over his words trying to keep his mind from going somewhere best left untouched. “We can use your chariot to get to the higher vantage points here.”

“What should we do until then?” 

That was the difficult part. Today was still young, it would be a while till the dead of night and it’s not like he could go to work. He’d have to wait for his contacts to get to him on the other Masters as well.

Unless there was someone else who’d want to help him.

“Quinn.” Jace muttered, “Quinn wouldn’t mind giving us information.”

He dialed his friend’s phone number and waited for Quinn to answer. A click sounded before he spoke, “yo, you just got me on my lunch break. What do you want?”

“I need information.”

“And why the hell would I give that to you?” Quinn changed it to FaceTime, his green eyes showing up on the phone before zooming out into him walking through the city streets. He waved at both of them. “Hey, Rider. I miss you.”

“You said that to the wrong person, you know.”

“Nah, I don’t think I did.” He flipped the camera around and showed Lancer dressed in a tank top and shorts wearing a facemask. “There’s Lancer, look at this hunk of a man.”

“Can you two stop dating for a second?” Jace asked, “it’s not like you’re putting yourself at a large advantage or disadvantage doing this.”

Quinn turned the camera back to him giving the middle finger to a cop car that passed by a moment later. “Well, it would be putting you at a possible advantage when the others could kill you. Why else should I give such information?”

Jace sighed and leaned back in his chair. He knew when his friend was seeking either compliments or a favor when he saw it, and this was one of those moments. He coughed before speaking in a lighter voice. “Because I love you very much and would do anything for you and I know you feel the same way…. And I’ll buy lunch.”

They heard Lancer snickering in the background before Quinn groaned, “alright you convinced me. I want sushi and not the grocery store type shit, like actual restaurant material.”

“We can take Rider and Lancer too, although I feel like you already planned on taking them just to make me pay more.” He glanced at Achilles who grinned with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “As long as we don’t kill each other.”

“Ah, you’ll be fine, you got the better Servant anyways.” Quinn turned the camera again to Lancer giving him the middle finger, and they turned entering into a pizza shop. Just the sight of it made Jace’s mouth water, and he realized just how much he missed going there. “We’ll meet up later, got it? Alright, love you!”

“Yeah, you too.” Jace hung up and sighed as Achilles’ laughing blared in his ear. He gave his Servant a tired frown before resting his head on the man’s shoulder. “He’s so annoying.”

Achilles wrapped an arm around him, teasing in a singsong voice. “He’s kind of entertaining, maybe he should’ve been my Master instead.” 

This is one of the things he hated about his medication. The anxious thoughts and the rolling feeling in his stomach could never go away. The voice nagging at the back of his head told him things that he didn’t want to believe. Jace smiled to himself, memories resurfacing about all the people who have left his life. It was inevitable, wasn’t it? Anyone he’s ever cared about always ends up leaving. Even Achilles wanted to leave. 

“Well, he was supposed to be your Master. Maybe...maybe that’s how it should’ve gone, you wouldn’t be stuck with someone like me.” 

The smile on the Servant’s face faded, and he immediately turned Jace around so that they stared straight at each other. “Hey, don’t say stuff like that.”

“Why? It’s true, isn’t it?” He avoided Achilles’s gaze like it was the plague. It was so overwhelming, so bright yet oddly captivating. It took all of Jace’s concentration to not look into his eyes. “I-I’m not...not the best Master. All I’ve done is slow you down, which isn’t good for someone like you.”

Achilles’s hands hovered over Jace’s shoulders before he flinched at the feeling of someone touching him. He should’ve expected this seeing it coming from a mile away, and yet he found himself not being able to erase the fear.

He slowly tilted his head up, staring into Achilles’ golden eyes. Jace wanted more than anything to look away, but he felt paralyzed. “ I-I….”

“You are my Master, and I will always be your Servant.” His voice was oddly soothing and calm, weird for someone as brazen as Achilles. He smiled in a way that exuded kindness and comfort, and Jace felt his mind ease as a result. “I’m not having that any other way. We make a good pair, as you said.”

Jace took a deep breath and slowly nodded his head. “But...why?”

“Because that’s how things ended up, and I’m liking how things are turning out with you so far.” Achilles said kindly. “I don’t plan on leaving someone who I know needs my protection.”

Protection. Jace remembered him saying that before. Here, with Achilles at his side, he did feel some ounce of that. Protected. He took a deep breath, smelling something sweet and somehow familiar. For a moment, he thought it was the scent of someone he once knew. 

Jace reached his hand up, gently ruffling his Servant’s hair until it left a small mess. He stood up out of his seat saying in a quiet voice, “let’s go get that sushi. We shouldn’t keep Quinn waiting.”

Achilles fixed his hair and grinned, that childlike wonder coming back and filling Jace’s soul with a comforting feeling. “I’ll drive, then.”


End file.
